Author
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Grauke, Larry |
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Submitted to: Pecan South
Publication Type: Trade Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 9/18/2000 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: This paper reports on the author's recent visit to Hunan and Yunan Provinces, PRC, to evaluate pecan germplasm collections and discuss further cooperation on the exchange of materials. The climate of the provinces where pecan is being evaluated are compared with those of the major pecan growing areas of the U.S. and Mexico. Temperatures are comparable to Mexican pecan growing regions. The amount of rainfall received exceeds that in the humid southeastern U.S., with the two provinces differing in seasonal distribution. Both provinces should require cultivars with outstanding resistance to nut and foliage diseases. Soils in the pecan growing regions were classified as Ultisols and should be comparable to several well-known and productive upland pecan soils of the Southeastern U.S. The performance of several introduced and domestic rootstocks were being evaluated in trials, with distinctions between seedstocks masked by confounding variables of establishment. Test orchards of improved pecan cultivars provided through the U.S. National Clonal Germplasm Repository will be systematically evaluated, along with domestic selections from introduced seed. Cultural management was briefly reviewed, and potentially damaging insect pests were mentioned. The production objectives of the Chinese are economic profit through the sale of high quality nuts (as opposed to reforestation or on-farm consumption of nuts, fuel, and high grade lumber), raising the prospect of competition with U.S. producers for export markets. The potential for cooperative research efforts is mentioned. |
