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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Crop Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #166522
Title: PERFORMANCE OF USDA SELECTIONS AND CHECK CULTIVARS IN THE BROWNWOOD-C NPACTS PERFORMANCE TEST

Author
item Thompson, Tommy
item Grauke, Larry

Submitted to: Texas Pecan Growers Association
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/8/2003
Publication Date: 8/25/2003
Citation: Thompson, T.E., Grauke, L.J. 2003. Performance of USDA selections and check cultivars in the Brownwood-c NPACTs performance test. Proceedings of Texas Pecan Growers Association. 70:38-40.

Interpretive Summary: One important part of pecan production is orchard establishment, or how soon meaningful returns on investment can be achieved. This is largely affected by the cultivars (varieties) planted, or more specifically, how soon the trees start having pecans to harvest. This is important in the USDA pecan breeding program and such knowledge is valuable in determining which pecan clones merit release as new cultivars. Many other factors, such as nut quality and tree characteristics, are obviously critical also. This paper presents data from a production test that is part of our national breeding program. These results show that some pecan clones are performing very well, compared to the check cultivars. They are yielding well and their nut quality is excellent. Hopefully some of these clones will continue to perform well in this test and will some day merit release as new cultivars for commercial growers, as well as home owners, to plant to produce more and better pecans.

Technical Abstract: One critical economic part of pecan production is orchard establishment, or how soon meaningful returns on investment can be achieved. This is largely affected by the cultivars planted, or more specifically, how prolific and precocious the trees are. Precocity and prolificacy are important in the USDA pecan breeding program and such knowledge is valuable in determining which clones merit release as new cultivars. Many other factors, such as nut quality and tree characteristics, are obviously critical also. Performance of the USDA selections was varied, with clones such as 82-16-14 yielding about like Wichita and Navaho, with a high percent terminals with clusters, nuts per pound, and kernel percentage. Harvest was relatively early, compared to traditional cultivars. Many of these selections are also being tested at other locations where disease resistance data, and tolerance to other environmental factors are being monitored. These data should be considered tentative, and used only as an indication for clonal performance in Central Texas, and only during the early life of the orchard.