2004 pecan crop could be a nutter' disaster

By By Steve Strong / MSU extension service area horticulturist
June 2, 2004
Pecans have been a staple item of the Southern family diet for generations, and rarely is a holiday meal served that does not include them.
Mama's homemade pecan pies are still my personal favorite, although the juicy nuts work just fine for cookies, pralines, cake frostings, sweet potato casserole, and even just plain roasted.
Naturally, something as sweet and delicious as pecans also attracts more than humans, who have to compete with squirrels and a multitude of other pests feeding off of the trees throughout the year. The fall harvest is often not what it is cracked up to be, and folks get a little nutty when they discover that something got to their prized crop before them.
Pecan trees produce a large amount of fatty oils and sugars in their leaves that are eventually stored in the nuts. It is like ringing the dinner bell for a host of insects and diseases that begin their attack in early spring, and continue to build up their populations as the growing season progresses.
Phylloxera insects begin to hatch and crawl at bud break around the end of March, and they are the critters responsible for the "knotty" growth on new stems, leaves and fruit. The first sign of green growth marks the time to begin a regular pesticide spray program, but unfortunately most home growers do not realize that the trees have pest problems until the damage is already done.
Unless you have an entire pecan orchard, you probably do not have the money and equipment that it takes to apply the pesticides properly either. Also, there are few businesses in East Mississippi that offer orchard spraying services, so the majority of homeowners have little option when it comes to caring for large trees.
In addition to phylloxera, aphids, borers, twig girdlers, weevils, and other bugs feed on the trees all summer long that further reduce the yield and quality. Fall webworms appear in late summer at the end of the growing season, but are merely a cosmetic problem compared to the rest of insect horde attacking the trees.
Scab fungus is the other primary pest of pecans, and is a disease that affects all growing parts including the fruit. Rotten, hollow nuts are classic signs of scab disease, and the management strategy is the same as for insects early and regular application of an approved fungicide spray. That is not the answer that homeowners want to hear, but the truth sometimes hurts.
Folks have to take what they can get from their backyard trees, and be satisfied that they are able to harvest anything at all considering the odds. It takes so much energy for the trees to make a heavy crop of nuts, that they are usually able to produce one good batch only every three to five years.
In addition, most of the older varieties like Mahan and Stuart (large fruited paper shell types) have almost no resistance to scab disease or other pests. The larger nuts may be easier to crack, but the smaller candy-making varieties seem to have better ability to deter pests, and may produce more dependably from year to year.
For more information on homeowner pecan varieties and pesticide options try the Mississippi State University Web site at www.msucares.com.
Patience is required to grow pecans, and it takes somewhere between 15 to 20 years before the trees mature enough to produce a crop. Speaking for pecan trees and the hicks that love them, their hickory cousins that is, enjoy them but don't be disappointed this fall at harvest time when the nuts for those holiday pies have to be store bought.