Project Number: 6202-21000-021-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Mar 04, 2003
End Date: Feb 29, 2008

Objective:
Investigate genetic control of economic characterisitics of pecan using qualitative, quantitative, and molecular techniques. Develop imporved pecan scion cultivars that yield more, have earlier nut maturity, higher nut quality, and higher disease and insect resistance. Develop improved pecan rootstocks that are adapted to targeted production areas, that are disease and insect resistant, and which contribute to increased yeilds of grafted scions.

Approach:
1. Segregating family progenies in replicated yield tests will be characterized for many genetic characteristics such as yield level, time of nut maturity, nut size, and disease and insect resistance. Type of inheriteance of each characteristic will be determined, as well as genetic association between traits. Various modifications of budding techniques to shorten generation time will be tested. 2. Parents are selected, crosses are made, seedlings are grown and evaluated in the BBP (Basic Breeding Program), and the best clones are selected and further tested in NPACTS to identify superior clones that are released to growers as improved cultivars. 3. Parents are selected, crosses are made, seedlings are grown and evaluated in the field, and the best clones are selected and further tested in NPACTS to identify superior clones that are released to growers as improved rootstock cultivars.