Mission:
The mission of the Fruit and Nut Research Unit is to develop improved cultivars of peaches, plums, nectarine and pecans; to develop cultural strategies that increase yield and profitability; and to develop control strategies for production limiting arthropods, nematodes, and diseases. Specifically, fruit cultivars are needed that provide a continuous succession of trees with high quality fruit and are resistant to bacterial spot, brown rot and scab. The principal needs for pecan cultivars are trees that do not alternately bear, ripen early, and have consistently high nut production and nut quality; therefore, research is focused on these problems. Horticultural practices associated with pollination, orchard geometry, physiological stresses, nut thinning, and early ripening are pursued for pecan. Environmentally safe and economic protection against catfacing insects, borers, pecan weevils, aphids, mites, pecan scab, brown rot, etc., is being developed.