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Cooperative Extension Service |
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Agricultural
Experiment Station |
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Dale Bumpers College
Division Home
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Miller County
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| Western Desirable Cheyenne - Scab Caddo Pawnee Cape Fear Cherokee Barton |
GraCross Brake Clark Moore No. 60 Onliwon Peruque Riverside |
San Saba Starking Success Oconee Houma - (Looks good - not sure) 61-6-67 - (Temporarily 15-17 years) |
Type II
Protogynous
Nutlets first
Pollen late
Varieties
| Wichita Choctaw Shawnee Tejas Kiowa Apache Brooks Burkett Candy Chickasaw Comanche Curtis |
Elliot Evers GraBohis GraKing GraPark GraTex Grazona Hays Ideal Mahan Mohawk Odom |
Schley Shoshoni Stuart Texhan Willmann Sumner Melrose - Bitter taste Moreland |
Keys to Profitability in Pecans
Financing - Cost of money and unit size (do not plant more than you can finance and manage effectively.
Site Selection - Unsuitable climate, poor soil, not enough rainfall, uncontrollable pest.
Establishment - Preparation, spacing, varieties, training, irrigation, weed control, nutrition and labor all need to be integrated.
Annual Cultural Operations - Tree thinning before crowding occurs, weed control, frequent nitrogen fertilization, foliar zinc sprays, pest monitoring, pest control and labor management.
Harvesting - Hand harvesting, semi mechanical or totally mechanical harvesting should be taken seriously with maximum preparation by August. Pecans need to be shaken from the trees, picked up, cleaned, sacked, sold and shipped before December 10, each year.
Marketing - No factor in pecan production has more opportunities than selling good pecans for a fair price. In-shell and contract shelled pecans can be marketed directly to the consumer at the orchard.
Twelve Best Varieties for Southern Arkansas
Type I
Protandrous
Pollen First
Nutlets Late
Variety
| Average nut/lb. | Percent Kernel | |
| Desirable | 45 | 55 |
| Caddo | 64 | 56 |
| Cape Fear | 45 | 53 |
| Oconee | 46 | 59 |
| Houma | 55-65 | 55 |
| 61-6-67 | 44 | 52 |
Type II
Protogynous
Nutlets First
Pollen Late
Variety
| Average nut/lb. | Percent Kernel | |
| Shawnee | 55 | 56 |
| Choctaw | 36 | 58 |
| Summer | 51 | 55 |
| Candy | 72 | 46 |
| Elliot | 71 | 52 |
| Moreland | 58 | 55 |
Fertilization Recommendations For Pecan Trees in Arkansas
Young non-bearing trees
• first year - no fertilizer
• second year - apply 2 pound of Ammonium Nitrate or Ammonium Sulfate in April - 2 pound in May and 2 pound in June
• third and 4th year - 1 pound on first of April - 1 pound on first of May - 1 pound on first of June
• fifth year - 2 pounds first of April - 2 pounds first of May and 2 pounds first of June
Bearing Named Varieties and Natives - Always follow leaf analysis recommendations
| Percent Nitrogen in Leaves | Pounds of Nitrogen to Apply Per Acre |
| Below 2.0 | 150 |
| 2.1 | 140 |
| 2.2 | 130 |
| 2.3 | 120 |
| 2.4 | 110 |
| 2.5 | 100 |
| 2.6 | 100 |
| 2.7 | 100 |
| above 2.75 | none (unless specifically suggested) |
Minimum amount of nitrogen per acre in the absence of a soil test
Natives - 60 units of actual nitrogen per acre
Named Varieties
• River bottoms - 90 units of actual nitrogen per acre
• Uplands - 120 units of actual nitrogen per acre
• Non producing established orchards - 200 units of actual nitrogen per acre
• Using split applications apply 50% in March and 50% in May
Available carriers of nitrogen
| Anhydrous Ammonia 82% | Chicken Litter 2.5 - 3.0% (Broiler Litter only) |
| Urea 45-46% | |
| Ammonium Nitrate 33.5% | Nitrogen Solution 20-32% |
| Ammonium Sulfate 20.5% | Calcium Nitrate 15.5% |
Young non-bearing trees - apply foliage application every two weeks from April to mid August
Named Varieties
• first Spray - green tip
• second spray - one week after green tip
• third spray - three weeks after green tip
• fourth spray - casebearer
• fifth spray - eight weeks after green tip
Natives - two sprays - first spray - one week after green tip - second spray - casebearer
Zinc Carriers and amount to apply
• Zinc Sulfate - 2-3 pounds per 100 gallons of water
• Zinc Nitrate - 2-3 pounds per 100 gallons of water + 3 pints of liquid nitrogen fertilizer (32-0-0)
Pecan Leaf Analysis - Acceptable Range Elements
| Concentration on Dry Weight Basis | |
| Nitrogen (N) | 2.50-4.00 percent |
| Phosphorus (P) | 0.15-0.30 percent |
| Potassium (K) | 0.75-1.25 percent |
| Calcium (Ca) | 0.70-3.00 |
| Magnesium (Mg) | 0.30-0.60 |
| Sulfur (S) | 0.20-2.50 |
| Iron (Fe) | 50-300 ppm |
| Manganese (Mn) | 40-300 ppm |
| Zinc (Zn) | 80-500 ppm |
| Boron (B) | 20-45 ppm |
| Copper (Cu) | 10-30 ppm |
Most Harmful Pecan Insects in Southern Arkansas
Hickory Shuckworm - Active mostly at night. Overwinters as a larva in the shucks of nuts. Begins attacking nuts in early June and continues until harvest. Three to four generations per year.
Control - Emergence of the shuckworm varies from year to year and orchard to orchard. Spraying should be timed to shuckworm activity. Activity should be monitored with black light traps. In the absence of a light trap, start scouting for activity in July.
Insecticides
Malathion 5EC
Guthion 2L
Asana XL 0.66EC
Phaser 50% WP
Phylloxera - Leaf phylloxera forms galls on leaves. Nut phylloxera forms galls on shoots and nuts.
Control - Survey orchard in May. Mark the trees that have galls on them for treatment the following year. Dormant oil may be applied to trees before budbreak in late February and early March. Insecticides must be applied after eggs hatch in spring but before nymphs are protected inside galls. Treat after budbreak when leaves are one to two inches long.
Insecticides
Lindane
Lorsban 4EC
Asana XL 0.66EC
Thiodan 50% WP
Phaser 50% WP
Pecan Nut Casebearer - This gray moth is active at night time only and is the most damaging insect pest in Arkansas. Eggs are laid on the tip end of the nutlets. Females lay 50-150 eggs during her five to eight day life span. Eggs are white when laid, but will turn pink or red prior to hatching. Eggs hatch in four to five days. Insecticides should be applied two to three days after the first eggs hatch.
The casebearer may have one to four generations. By carefully monitoring egg hatch and control of the first generation the second, third or fourth generation will be controlled.
Warm spring temperatures influence casebearer development. Cool rainy weather can delay moth activity and egg laying. Thus, the period of egg laying can vary as much as two weeks from year to year.
Control - Mothers Day is usually a designated time to start scouting for casebearer eggs.
Insecticides
Malathion 5EC
Guthion 2L
Asana XL 0.66EC
Phaser 50 WP
Pecan Leaf Scorch Mite - This mite causes "scorch" appearances on foliage. Damage occurs in June, July, August and September and appears as dark brown blotches on leaflets.
Mites usually feed on the underside of leaves, but will feed on the upper leaf surface. They over-winter in bark crevices on tree limbs. Life cycle usually is 11-15 days.
Control - Threshold levels not known.
Insecticides
Vendex 4L
Vendex 50WP
Pecan Weevils - The pecan weevil attacks pecans and hickory prior to shell hardening. Adults will feed on pecans usually causing immature pecan to fall from the tree.
After the shell hardens, females will lay eggs in the pecans and grubs will feed on developing kernel.
Control - Control should be aimed at the adult in August. Usually after the first rain occurs, adults will emerge from the soil. Emergence can be determined by shaking lower limbs of tree or setting weevil traps in orchard.
Insecticides
Sevin 80S
Asana XL 0.66EC
Imidan 50WP
Cymbush 3E
Malathion 5EC
Guthion 2L
Hickory Nut Curculio - Causes nuts to abort from the tree. Aborted nuts usually will have a circular puncture in the middle. A brownish liquid seeps through the puncture, leaving a syrup-like deposit on the side of the nut. Heavy activity occurs about June 15 and two spray applications are necessary for control.
• First spray June 20
• Second spray two weeks laterInsecticides
Sevin 80S
Black Pecan Aphids - This aphid is more destructive than the yellow aphids. It feeds on the underside of leaves and injects a toxin that causes the leaf tissue between major veins to turn bright yellow. The black pecan aphid also reduces nut fill and lowers production the following year.
It is very active in August and September. Treat when aphids average three or more per compound leaf.
Disease of Pecans in Southern Arkansas
Pecan Scab - Leaves can be infected from budbreak until June. Nuts can be infected from May to late September. Lesions are brown and later become black. Lesions reduce photosynthetic activity and cause early leaf loss.
Shucks stick to nuts and nuts can become unsized. Nuts may stick to tree or drop prematurely.
Environmental Influences - Frequent rains, high humidity, heavy dew, and cloudy days.
Control - Fungicide spray should began as soon as budbreak.
Fungicides
Syllit 65W
Super-Tin 4L
Triple Tin 4L
Benlate 50 W
Topsin M 70 W
Shuck Dieback - Shuck tips turn black, curve backward and remain attached to the pecan shell. One to two weeks prior to normal shuck opening.
No kernel or a poorly filled kernel if formed. Damaged pecans are smaller than healthy ones. Success, Choctaw, Mohawk and Barton are very susceptible to shuck dieback.
Pecan Bunch Disease - Trees affected with pecan bunch disease display a proliferation of stem shoots on scaffold limbs. It usually shows on one or two limbs, but can cover entire tree. Leaves on affected shoots are larger than normal. They differ from zinc deficient trees which are smaller than normal. Bunches force out one to two weeks earlier than the rest of the tree, but defoliate earlier in fall than healthy limbs.
Trees are lower yielding and produce inferior quality pecans. Most often associated with native pecans. Pruning is effective if bunch disease is on restricted limbs. Cut should be made several inches below infected bunches. If bunches widespread, complete tree removal is necessary for control.
John Turner
CEA Agriculture
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
Miller County
400 Laurel, Suite 215
Texarkana, AR 71854
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