Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) is a large deciduous native North American tree grown in 27 US states by about 25,000 pecan farmers for its delicious and highly nutritious nutmeats; thus, it has great economic impact in rural communities across much of the U.S. It is considered a permanent crop, as trees bear for 300+ years. Pecan is recently domesticated, as commercial orchards were first planted in the late 1800s. It is successfully farmed in areas as diverse as the deserts of the southwestern US, the humid southeastern US, California Central Valleys, the Southern Plains, and is substantially planted worldwide (Grauke et al., 2011).
Growing regions within the U.S. are diverse, with farmers in each region facing major and unique horticultural issues. The horticultural issues to be addressed by genetic tool development include flowering, severe alternate bearing, disease susceptibility, salinity stress, drought stress tolerance, and micronutrient uptake insufficiencies. Genetic variation within the species allows for differential adaptation in wide ranges of environments; thus, unraveling the genetics of several genotypes will allow for identification of genes controlling specific traits. Obtained data will allow development of vital genetic tools necessary for increasing understanding of regional adaptation, promoting conservation, and selecting improved cultivars/rootstocks for all major farming regions.
Project long-term goals are to increase pecan nutmeat yield and quality, optimize nutritional value, and subsequent stabilization of pecan markets by improving crop major limiting characteristics for all U.S. pecan farming regions. The objectives are focused to elucidate the genetics of these crop characteristics.
Targeting Horticultural Issues
- Flowering
- Severe Alternate Bearing
- Disease Susceptibility
- Salinity Stress
- Drought Stress Tolerance
- Micronutrient Uptake Insufficiencies
Goals
- Increase Nutmeat Yields and Quality
- Optimize Nutritional Value
- Reduce Limiting Characteristics Found in all U.S. Pecan Farming Regions
