White pecan. How to Grow Pecan Trees. Strengthens the immune system

The beneficial properties of which will be described in this article, it is exotic, since it does not grow not only in Russia, but even on our entire continent. Well, in North America it is an integral part of the diet of any family. On both regular and holidays, Americans are sure to prepare dishes with the addition of this nut. When did he appear?

Story

Even before Columbus discovered America, the pecan nut, a photo of which is available in the article, was considered almost the main type of food. He helped the Indians survive in the absence of food. After all, the hunt did not always end successfully. And storing the same meat was quite difficult. Pecans can be stored for future use. Its strong shell is a sealed package that protects the contents from negative influences and pests.

When the Indians explored new territories of the continent, creating villages, camps and camps, they always planted them nearby. After 7-8 years they began to bear fruit. The best nuts had a large kernel and the thinnest shell. It was these that the Indians collected in the first place.

For the first time, detailed information about pecans was provided by the Spaniard Cabage de Vacom in the 16th century, who noticed this crop among the Indians of North America. The information aroused interest in this nut among European researchers. They personally came to America to see the process of harvesting pecans for the winter in the fall. The oldest plantings of this plant (200 years) are registered in Mexico.

Agricultural production

The first place in the development of pecan culture belongs to settlers from New York. Now the range of this nut has expanded greatly. It is grown in Oregon, California, New Mexico, Florida, Georgia and Virginia. Despite its excellent qualities, pecans for some reason have not taken root on other continents. But outside of Mexico and America, it is grown in South Africa, Peru, Israel, China, Brazil and Australia. In the United States, pecans are superior in importance. Production is established in 14 states. This is an entire area of ​​the national economy that has gone through many stages of development. According to statistics, in the 1920s, about 1 thousand tons of pecans were produced, and in the last decade this figure has increased to 120 thousand tons.

Nuts are collected from natural stands mainly in the states of Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Georgia. Fluctuations in annual production depend on changing weather conditions. Thus, due to weather problems, 86 thousand tons of nuts were harvested in 2008, although a year earlier this figure was 175 thousand tons. Almost 90% of all pecans are harvested in the United States. Americans mainly export it to Hong Kong, Canada and Mexico. For example, in 2008 they sold 52 thousand tons of nuts worth a quarter of a million dollars. At the same time, 40 thousand tons were imported, most of which came from Mexico. It and the United States own 100% of the world market.

Appearance and taste

In appearance, pecans, the beneficial properties of which you will learn below, resemble olives. Take a look at the picture and see the similarity. And when peeled, it is very similar to a walnut. A pecan without a shell also resembles a human brain. Its taste is almost the same as that of walnuts, only more tender and softer, and the fruits are not bitter at all. Pecans have one more feature - there are no partitions inside the shell, which makes it easy to remove the kernel. Now let's look at its composition.

Compound

Pecan nuts, the price of which in Russia is about 900 rubles per half kilogram, have a rich nutritional composition. It includes many micro- and macroelements (copper, iron, selenium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, etc.), as well as ash, fiber and vitamins (K, E, C, A, B). Among the B vitamins, the presence of folic acid is especially valuable.

Beneficial features

Thanks to the presence of vitamin E, the nut has anti-cancer properties. Pecans are also useful for vitamin deficiency and anemia. If you regularly consume this nut, the content of a component such as gamma tocopherol will increase in the body. This is a substance that protects DNA, proteins, fats and cholesterol from oxidation, which has a beneficial effect on the heart, prevents the occurrence of atherosclerosis, coronary disease and varicose veins.

Pecan nut, the beneficial properties of which are known to all nutritionists, stimulates appetite, helps relieve fatigue, and optimizes the functioning of the hormonal and reproductive systems.

With reasonable consumption and replacement of high-calorie foods, you can reduce your own weight. But if you eat pecans in large quantities, and even with the addition of other fatty foods, the result will be the opposite. The optimal single serving is indicated at the end of the article.

Oil

Not only the pecan nut itself, the taste of which was described above, is healthy, but also the oil obtained from its fruit. To obtain real high-quality oil that retains all its beneficial properties, it is necessary to use the cold pressing method. The final product should have a nutty odor and a golden yellow color. Pecan oil tastes very similar to olive oil. As for the composition, it contains a lot of fatty acids, phytosterols, vitamins and minerals.

This oil is suitable for both external and internal use. In case of external use, it is used as a cosmetic product. Pecan oil helps relieve insect bites, sunburn, fungal infections, skin irritants, and reduces bruising. It is recommended to take it internally for decreased appetite, fatigue and headaches. In addition, many people know this oil as an excellent preventive medicine against colds.

How to choose

Pecan nuts, the price of which was indicated above, are best purchased at a supermarket or specialty store. In this case, you can find out the expiration date of the product indicated on the packaging. A quality product has a clean, undamaged shell. If, when shaking a nut, you hear the sound of the kernel hitting the shell, then it has dried out and lost its beneficial properties. When purchasing peeled fruits, make sure they are whole, fleshy and shiny.

Use in cooking

The pecan nut, the benefits of which are undoubted, has a significant advantage - universal use. It can be consumed fried and dried. It goes well with dried fruits and other nuts and is used for making confectionery and vegetable salads. Pies, cookies, and bread are baked from this nut. And, of course, oil is made from it, which we wrote about above.

Storage methods

Pecans, which have photos in many plant encyclopedias, do not keep very long. The high fat content at room temperature will make it rancid, and the wonderful nutty flavor will be replaced by an unpleasant odor. To increase shelf life, it is best to store pecans in the refrigerator. In this case, it will not lose its beneficial properties for 4 months. In the freezer this period increases to six months. Peeled fruits should be placed in airtight packaging and stored for no more than 2 months.

Contraindications

Pecan nuts, the beneficial properties of which you learned from this article, can be harmful in certain cases. For example, with excessive consumption. This may cause stomach upset. The optimal harmless single serving is 100 grams. This nut should also be used very carefully by those who have liver problems, allergies or individual intolerance to this product.

The kernel contains, in addition to fat, proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins. The fruits ripen in October-November, but there are also early-ripening varieties.
Valued for wood of high technical qualities(used in construction, for the manufacture of furniture, bent products, plywood, etc.) and a core of higher biological quality. Pecan kernel calories(861.2 cal/100 g) is higher in calories than other nut species: walnut (826 cal), hazelnut (822 cal), almond (757 cal).
The high nutritional value of the fruit, its pleasant taste, high calorie content, unlimited shelf life, easy storage, transportability, increased consumer demand at high prices - all this began to generate large incomes and served as an incentive for the widespread use of pecans in cultivation.
The pecan root system is of a mixed type with strongly and deeply developed central and lateral roots. The soil requires fertile, fresh or moist soil, but without stagnant water.
Pecan is a fairly heat-loving plant. It grows well on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, as well as in Lenkoran, however, experiments on the introduction of pecans in the North Caucasus, Rostov region and Ukraine show that it can successfully withstand winters with prolonged low temperatures reaching -30°C and below. Pecans are fairly light-loving species, such as ash trees.
As experiments show, pecans are a fast-growing species, reaching large sizes in a short period. Only in the first years of life its growth is slowed down, reaching 40-50 cm at the age of 2-3 years. Pecan is resistant to atmospheric drought provided the soil is watered and irrigated, however, even with “dry watering” - shelf and loosening in Ukraine it grows well and bears fruit.
At the time of fruiting young pecan trees begin to produce seeds from 9-14 years of age, grafted ones - from 4-5 years of age. In the first years from the beginning of fruiting, the average yield of pecan trees ranges from 1 to 5 kg. At the age of 10-20 years, the average pecan tree yield in the United States ranges from 8 to 15 kg, and at 20-30 years, from 11 to 22 kg. Old pecan trees bear up to 250 kg of fruit.
Over the period of more than a century of pecan cultivation in the United States, up to 150 varieties have been isolated, differing in the shape, size and quality of the fruit, productivity and tree resistance to frost, drought, heat, insect pests and diseases. The best varieties that are promising for cultivation in our country include: Thomas, Schley, Busseron, Butterick, Posey, Major, Indiana, etc. Pecans have been cultivated in North America since time immemorial. The native inhabitants, the Indians, highly valued the nutritional value of its fruits, constantly consumed them as food and contributed to the expansion of its culture.
The pecan's cultural range in North America has long since crossed natural boundaries. As a result of cultivation and selection, forms and varieties have been identified that have valuable biological characteristics: cold resistance, drought resistance, low demands on soil conditions, a short growing season (130-150 days), early fruiting, etc.
In our country, pecans have been cultivated since the beginning of the 20th century. At first, his culture was concentrated in Batumi, Sochi and Sukhumi, then successfully spread throughout the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, in Azerbaijan (Lankaran) and in Central Asia. Pecans have rapid growth, immunity to diseases and high yields in all areas of introduction.
In the more northern regions of the European territory of Russia - in the North Caucasus, in the Stavropol and Krasnodar territories and in the Rostov region, there are plantings of individual pecan trees and small groups of pecan trees. Pecan culture is quite possible not only in these areas, but also much further north. Pecan easily tolerates winter frosts down to -36°C and turns out to be more winter-hardy than a number of species such as ailanthus, paulownia, walnut, etc. Considering that pecan is not susceptible to the harmful effects of late spring frosts due to late flowering, we can talk about higher frost resistance of this breed. It is not without reason that the northern line of pecan cultivation in the European part of Russia is considered to be the geographic latitude at which Kursk is located.
In 1965 and 1966, pecan plantations were created in the Kirovograd region in the Veselobokovenkovsky arboretum on an area of ​​12 hectares, in the Kherson region at the Prisivash agroforestry experimental station on an area of ​​5 hectares and at the Tsyurupinsky experimental grapevine station on an area of ​​1 hectare.
In terms of its demands on heat, pecan is close to white acacia and honey locust, in the community of which it grows in its homeland. As you know, these breeds have acclimatized well in Ukraine, and white acacia grows well and bears fruit even in Moscow and other areas close to it. The facts of successful pecan cultivation in Ukraine inspire confidence in the prospects of its culture in more northern regions.
Reproduces by seed and vegetative means (cuttings, budding, grafting). The latter method of propagation requires certain knowledge, skills and experience in working with nut crops.
Pecan seeds are sown in the fall after harvest or stratified for 60 to 90 days before planting in the spring. Sowing of seeds is carried out in nurseries in rows or in furrows in beds. The seeding depth is 6-8 cm, 18-20 pieces are sown per 1 m. seeds Crops are mulched and watered in dry conditions. Shoots appear in a month. Caring for crops involves weeding and loosening the soil. Annual seedlings have a height of 10 to 25-30 cm. Well-developed seedlings are suitable for transplanting at 1 year of age, while small ones are suitable only at 2 or even 3 years of age. Pecan seedlings for rootstocks are grown in the school nursery department.
Pecan trees planted in our country do not have insect pests and are not susceptible to diseases. At home in North America, pecans suffer from scab (Fusicladium), which affects shoots, leaves and fruits. Other pecan diseases include galls, rosette and leaf spot.
The main insects that damage pecans are the black aphid (Myzocallis), the scale insect (Melanaspis), and the pecan or hickory weevil (Curculio). These insects are combated by spraying trees with various approved pesticides.

Pecan (Carya olivaeformis)

Pecan description

Comes from the Nut family. The tree is up to 25 meters high; in its homeland it sometimes reaches enormous sizes up to 50 meters in height and 2 meters in girth. The leaves are not pinnate, 30-50 cm long. Flowers are dioecious, monoecious, staminate flowers are collected in 2-3 catkins, pistillate flowers are collected in 3-5 or more racemes. The nut is cylindrical, 2.5-5 cm long, pointed at the end on one side. The shell is thin, brittle, light brown. The kernel is white, oily, sweet.

This nut is native to North America. Pecans are found wild in large quantities in this region. Pecans appeared in Europe in the mid-18th century; the nut was imported into Russia in 1901 and spread along the entire Black Sea coast.

Pecan properties

Pecans are a valuable crop. The nut kernel contains 68-78 percent fat, 9-15 percent proteins, 14 percent carbohydrates. The kernel yield is relatively higher than that of other nut fruits. Nuts always have a tightly closed shell, which prevents the codling moth from penetrating them. They have excellent taste, slight sweetness and no astringency. In terms of calorie content, pecans are not inferior to lard.

Pecan wood is used to make agricultural tools, various crafts, and plywood.

Pecan Varieties

The best varieties to grow are the following varieties; Bousseron, Western Circuit, Possey, Castanera, Mapar.

Bousseron- large, thin-shelled nut. Fast growing variety. One of the most winter-hardy.

Western Schlein- large-fruited variety, most common in the USA. The nut is ovoid, pointed, thin-shelled, well filled with a kernel of excellent taste. The trees are productive and vigorous.

Possey- large-fruited winter-hardy variety. The shell is thin and fragile. The nut is well filled. The kernel is sweet and tasty.

Castanera- with a large cylindrical nut, with a well-made kernel. The shell is thin, but difficult to crack.

Mapar- an almost round, medium-sized nut. The shell is thin and fragile. The core of excellent taste. Considered one of the best varieties.

Pecan propagation

Propagated by sowing nuts, which quickly lose their viability. Seedlings develop a long, unbranched taproot. Seedlings begin to bear fruit 5-6 years after grafting. The yield from one tree at the age of 20 - 25 years is 60 - 70 kg per year. Fruits weakly and irregularly in damp and dark places. For successful cross-pollination and fruiting, early and late flowering forms are usually planted simultaneously.

Pecan is a plant of temperate - warm and humid climates. It grows mainly in river valleys, on a wide variety of soils. Single plantings of pecans do not produce a harvest.

Pecan photo

Pecan(Carya olivaeformis Nutt., nut family - Juglandaceae Lindl.) - grows naturally in the forests of the eastern half of the United States from Indiana and Kentucky in the north to Texas and Georgia in the south, and also grows in Mexico.

In the subtropics of North America, pecans reach a height of 60 m and 2 m in diameter; in more temperate climates, 30-40 m and 60-80 cm, respectively.

The trunk is straight, highly debranched, with dark brown, shallowly cracking bark. The buds are yellowish, pubescent, the shoots are brownish, pubescent when they appear, then bare. Wood of high technical quality is used in construction, for plywood, etc.

The leaves are imparipinnately compound, up to 50 cm long, with 9-17 oblong-lanceolate leaflets up to 15 cm long, 6 cm wide with a downward curved apex. Annual plants have simple leaves.

The flowers are dioecious, placed on the same shoot, pistillate in short racemes at the end, and staminate at the base and in the middle of the shoot, in narrow long earrings, which are usually collected in threes together. The staminate flower consists of a tripartite leaflet and 5-6 anthers attached to it. A pistillate flower up to 0.8 cm long and 0.5 cm wide consists of a lower short bottle-shaped ovary with 5 bracts attached to it, the sharp ends of which surround 2 small stigmas.

Pecan flowering occurs quite late, in mid-May or early June, and its trees are dichogamous. Late flowering of pecans ensures that they will not be damaged by late spring frosts, but in subtropical conditions it is desirable to accelerate their flowering. In this regard, in the ARE, pecan trees were sprayed in early spring with 2 and 4% solutions of dinitrocresol mineral oil emulsion. As a result, pecan trees bloomed 1-3 weeks earlier, reduced ovary drop and increased yield (according to Nasr, and Hassan).

The pecan fruit is a false drupe called a nut. It has an outer hard-fleshy layer, a pericarp, which hardens and cracks when ripe, and an inner layer - an endocarp (nut) with a smooth brownish shell and a core consisting of an embryo and two overgrown cotyledons with nutrients. Pecan endocarp is usually oblong or oval-oblong, up to 4 cm long, 2 cm wide with an average weight of 5-6 g. The endocarp shell is thin (up to 1 mm thick), the core makes up 50% or more of the endocarp’s weight, fat content up to 70%. The kernel contains, in addition to fat, proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins. The fruits ripen in October-November, but there are also early-ripening varieties.

The pecan root system is of a mixed type with strongly and deeply developed central and lateral roots. The soil requires fertile, fresh or moist soil, but without stagnant water.

Pecan is a fairly heat-loving plant. It grows well on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, as well as in Lankaran, however, experiments on the introduction of pecans in the North Caucasus, in the Rostov region. and in Ukraine they show that it can successfully withstand winters with prolonged low temperatures reaching - 30 °C. Pecans are fairly light-loving species, such as ash trees.

As experiments show, pecans are a fast-growing species, reaching large sizes in a short period. Only in the first few years does its growth slow down, reaching 40-50 cm at the age of 2-3 years.

Pecan is resistant to atmospheric drought provided the soil is watered and irrigated, however, even with “dry watering” - shelf and loosening in Ukraine, it grows and bears fruit well.

Young pecan trees of seed origin begin to bear fruit at the age of 9-14 years, and grafted trees at the age of 4-5 years. In the first years from the beginning of fruiting, the average yield of pecan trees ranges from 1 to 5 kg. At the age of 10-20 years, the average pecan tree yield in the United States ranges from 8 to 15 kg, and at 20-30 years, from 11 to 22 kg. Old pecan trees bear up to 250 kg of fruit.

Over the period of more than a century of pecan cultivation in the United States, up to 150 varieties have been isolated, differing in the shape, size and quality of the fruit, productivity and tree resistance to frost, drought, heat, insect pests and diseases. The best varieties that are promising for cultivation in our country include: Thomas, Schley, Busseron, Butterick, Posey, Major, Indiana, etc.

Pecans have been cultivated in North America since time immemorial. The native inhabitants, the Indians, highly valued the nutritional value of its fruits, constantly consumed them as food and contributed to the expansion of its culture.

The annual production of pecan fruits in the USA reaches 130-150 thousand tons, the area of ​​industrial pecan plantations is 150 thousand hectares. On plantations, varietal pecan plants are grown by grafting. Along with this, farmers also exploit wild pecan trees, which are regularly maintained (weeding, loosening the soil, fertilizers, etc.).

Pecan culture in Europe has not yet become widespread and is concentrated to a small extent in Spain, Italy, and France. Pecans are also grown in Greece, Turkey, the Middle East and many African countries.

In Bulgaria, pecan grows in the Evksinograd and Vrana parks on deep, fresh and light clay-sandy soils. At the age of 45 it reaches a height of 17 m and 30 cm in diameter, forms a straight trunk and a wide dome-shaped crown. Fruits every year. It is recommended not only for parks, but also as the main species in forest plantations in the southern regions of the country.

In our country, pecans have been cultivated since the beginning of the 20th century. At first, his culture was concentrated in Batumi, Sochi and Sukhumi, then spread throughout the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, in Azerbaijan (Lankaran) and in the republics of Central Asia.

In total, there are up to 10 thousand pecan trees in the USSR, most of which grow in Abkhazia. In this republic, pecan plantings are found in forestry enterprises, state farms (Gagra Citrus, “Southern Cultures”, Nursery Farm, etc.), in collective farms of the Ochamchira district, at the Colchis stronghold of the Sukhumi experimental station of VIR.

An interesting experiment in growing pecan cultivars was carried out at the Sukhumi Experimental Station of Subtropical Crops. Grafted pecan seedlings of different varieties, obtained from the USA, were planted here in 1933 along the banks of a small river. Currently, they are well-developed, successfully growing trees with high fruit yields. The varieties that grow especially well are: Schley, Western Schley, Busseron, Thomas, Major, Indiana, Butterick, Stewart, Posey, Agezura and Moneymaker. As L. Kh. Khashba established, almost all main types of soils are suitable for pecans in Abkhazia: alluvial red and yellow earth, humus-carbonate and podzolic; as long as they are sufficiently moist, well drained and slightly acidic.

In Adler (the poultry farm and its village, as well as the park of the state farm "Southern Cultures") there are up to 100 pecan trees planted in the first years of the 20th century. Many of them reach a height of 35-40 m and 1 m in diameter, and bear fruit abundantly every year. The conditions for such growth here are excellent: absence of winter frosts, more than 1000 mm of precipitation per year, fertile, drained, moist soils. Pecan growth is also successful in Gagra, Gantiadi and other places.

In recent years, pecan plantations have been established on an area of ​​22 hectares on various farms in Abkhazia and Georgia, more than 10 thousand pecan seedlings have been transferred to collective farms and scientific institutions to create gardens, and valuable forms have been identified for selection work.

In Azerbaijan, pecan grows well in Lankaran and Talysh, where there are large old trees that bear fruit every year. On the collective farm. Azi Aslanov created a pecan plantation on an area of ​​4 hectares near Lenkoran. The trees grow well and bear fruit.

The successful introduction of pecans was carried out in the Central Asian republics by experimental institutions. Since 1935, pecan plants have been planted here, which are now large fruit-bearing trees. V. M. Rovsky showed that on fine-earth, drained and non-saline irrigated soils of Central Asia, pecan grows no less quickly than in the humid subtropics of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. In the arboretum Sreda NIILKh near Tashkent, pecan trees at the age of 9 reached a height of 10.5 and 11.5 cm in diameter. In the arboretum of the Turkmen Forestry Experimental Station, at the age of 17 years, the height of pecan trees was 12.4 m and the diameter of the trunk was 19.3 cm. In the Kirovabad forestry of the Kurgan-Tube forestry enterprise of the Tajik SSR, pecan trees at the age of 20 reached a height of 18.5 m and 28 cm in diameter.

In the dry growing conditions of pecans in Central Asia, flowering occurs a month earlier (in April) than in the humid subtropics of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. Fruiting here also usually occurs much earlier - in October.

The introduction of pecans in the Caucasus and Central Asia in our country, as shown by the results of experiments carried out over many decades, was crowned with complete success. Pecans have rapid growth, immunity to diseases and high yields in all areas of introduction.

In the more northern regions of the European territory of the USSR - in the North Caucasus, in the Stavropol and Krasnodar territories and in the Rostov region. There are plantings of individual pecan trees and small groups of pecan trees. Pecan culture is quite possible not only in these areas, but also much further north. Pecan easily tolerates winter frosts down to -36 ° C and turns out to be more winter-hardy than a number of species such as ailanthus, paulownia, walnut, etc. Considering that pecan is not susceptible to the harmful effects of late spring frosts due to late flowering, we can talk about higher frost resistance of this breed. A. A. Fedorov, not without reason, considered the northern line of pecan breeding in the European part of the USSR to be the geographical latitude at which Kursk is located.

P. G. Krotkevich’s conclusion is also very correct that pecan, in terms of heat requirements, is close to white acacia and honey locust, in the community of which it grows in its homeland. As you know, these breeds have acclimatized well in Ukraine, and white acacia grows well and bears fruit even in Moscow and other areas close to it. The facts of successful pecan cultivation in the Ukrainian SSR inspire confidence in the prospects of its crop in more northern regions.

The systematic introduction of pecans in Ukraine began in the 50s of the 20th century. former Forest Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR in Kyiv. Expeditions were conducted to the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, where the growth, condition and productivity of pecan trees were studied. From the obtained seed material in 1953, 1.5 thousand one-year-old seedlings and 1.7 thousand two-year-old pecans were grown in Goloseevo.

By sowing seeds, the first mother plantation of pecans was planted on the Feofaniya farm near Kiev on an area of ​​1 hectare. A large number of pecan seeds and seedlings were sent in the 50s to forestry enterprises, botanical gardens and experimental institutions in the Kiev, Cherkassy, ​​Poltava, Kirovograd and Chernivtsi regions, as well as to Moldova, Latvia, the North Caucasus and other places. Pecan trees still grow in many places. In some places they have already begun to bloom (in Odessa, Kirovograd regions, etc.).

Some young pecan trees grow in many botanical gardens of the Ukrainian SSR and in the arboretums of many experimental institutions and forestry agencies. The cultivation of pecans in the irrigated park Askania-Nova, Kherson region, deserves attention. At the age of 12, the pecan tree reached a height of 7.6 m and 6 cm in diameter, at the age of 15, 9 m and 11 cm, respectively, and at the age of 25, 12 m and 14 cm.

Favorable climatic conditions for pecan growth are available in the Transcarpathian region. In the city of Mukachevo, in the estate of the Transcarpathian forest experimental station, pecans at 10 years of age reached a height of 8 m. In the arboretum of the Mukachevo timber plant, in the type of forest growing conditions, a fresh hornbeam-beech oak grove, a group of pecan seedlings in the amount of 88 specimens was planted in 1959 with a distance between plants 1X1 and 1x2 m. The terrain is hilly, altitude 130-200 m, average annual temperature 10 °C, average January temperature - 2.9 °C, absolute minimum -32 °C, average July temperature 17.9 °C. Annual precipitation, according to long-term data, is 782 mm. The climate is moderately warm and mild. At 10 years of age, pecan reaches a height of 3.7 m, its condition is good, and its preservation is high (according to P.I. Molotkov).

An alley of pecans has been created in the Vasilyevsky tree nursery in the Izmail district of the Odessa region. In total there are 45 trees that have already entered the fruiting season.

Pecan culture in Crimea is associated with the planting of this species in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden by its creator X. Steven in 1824. The centuries-old trees planted by Steven existed until the 30s of the 20th century. They were distinguished by good growth and productivity. Currently, there are fruit-bearing pecan trees of different ages there. Individual pecan trees grow on the estate of the Agricultural Institute in Simferopol, on the Vinogradny state farm and other places.

The above review shows the full possibility of expanding the culture of this breed in Ukraine. Particularly favorable areas for the distribution of pecans in the Ukrainian SSR will be the western and southwestern ones. Provided the land is irrigated, pecan cultivation is also possible in the southern steppe regions of Ukraine. At the same time, it should be noted that the culture of this valuable breed is weak in Ukraine. There are no large industrial pecan plantations here yet, and insufficient selection work is being carried out to develop early-fruiting varieties with early fruit ripening.

In order to spread the pecan culture in the Ukrainian SSR, the UkrNIILKhA conducted research with this breed for a number of years at experimental stations in the forest-steppe and steppe zones of the republic (headed by F. L. Shchepotyev). Seeds of various varieties of pecans, obtained from Sochi, Adler, Sukhumi, Batumi, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other places, were sown in the Kirovograd, Kherson and Kharkov regions. In total, about 10 thousand seeds were sown, from which no more than 3 thousand plants were grown and preserved. Data from phenological observations and measurements showed good germination of pecan seeds. It was also established that seedlings of Sukhumi origin of the varieties Thomas, Butterick and Busserson were highly frost-resistant. Among the Central Asian frost-resistant varieties, the varieties Pamyat Shroeder and Urozhainy should be noted. Plants of Adler and Sochi origin showed very poor frost resistance; mostly they all fell out. Of the surviving plants in 1965 and 1966. Pecan plantations were created in the following locations: in the Kirovograd region. in the Veselobokovenkovsky arboretum on an area of ​​12 hectares, in the Kherson region. at the Prisnvash agroforestry experimental station on an area of ​​5 hectares and at the Tsyurupinskaya experimental grapevine station on an area of ​​1 hectare. Currently, the pecan trees on these plantations have already begun to bear fruit. The average height of pecan trees at 20 years of age is 5.4 m, the highest is 6.9 m.

In addition to conducting introduction experiments, the effect of various stimulants on seed germination and growth of pecan seedlings was studied. The influence of aqueous solutions of gibberellin at a concentration of 200-300 mg/l was tested. The seeds were soaked in solutions for 2 and 4 days, after which they were sown in the nursery. It has been established that gibberellin stimulates the germination of pecan seeds and increases their germination. At the same time, seedlings in the experiment appear much earlier and more quickly than in the control, where the seeds were not treated. This ensures better growth of experimental plants and their earlier preparation for winter, which in itself is of great practical importance in introduction experiments on pecan acclimatization. It was also noted that a 2-day exposure of pecan seeds in aqueous solutions of gibberellin had a more stimulating effect on germination energy in most variants of the experiment than a 4-day exposure.

Data from Egyptian researchers T. Nasr and E. Hassan in 1975 also showed that gibberellic acid at a concentration of 100 and 200 mg/l with exposure for 24 hours increases the germination of pecan seeds and stimulates the growth of seedlings. However, this concerned seeds that had been stratified for 4 weeks. With 2-week seed stratification, gibberellin did not have a positive effect on germination.

In experiments by R. Taylor in 1972, the bases of the stems of young pecan shoots in a greenhouse were treated 4 times with lanolin paste containing gibberellin. After 3 months, the experimental plants were ready for budding, and the control plants were used only at the end of the second year of life.

We also conducted experiments on the effect of ultrasound on seed germination and growth of pecan seedlings. Under the influence of short-term (4-7 min) ultrasound, the germination of pecan seeds sharply increased, the growth of seedlings increased, the seedlings completed growth processes faster and were better prepared for winter than control plants. Thus, the positive role of growth stimulants in the introduction and acclimatization of pecan was clarified.

We obtained interesting data in studies on remote hybridization of pecans with walnuts, begun in 1958. The goal of these studies, on the one hand, was to obtain hybrids with increased frost resistance and early entry into fruiting, characteristic of walnuts, and, on the other hand, hybrid forms , with late flowering, high quality fruits, and productivity characteristic of pecans. Crossings of walnuts and pecans were carried out in an elite walnut orchard in the Kupyansky tree nursery, Kharkov region. Backcrossings of pecans and walnuts were carried out at the Sukhumi station of subtropical crops, where fruit-bearing pecan trees grow. Pollination of walnut flowers in Kupyansk was carried out with pecan pollen obtained from Uzbekistan, and pecan flowers in Sukhumi with pollen from the Kharkov region.

A total of 5,796 flowers of walnut, pecan and other Juqlans species were pollinated by intergeneric crosses between 1961 and 1965. From this amount, 202 hybrid fruits were obtained (3.4% of the number of pollinated flowers).

In size and weight, the hybrid fruits differed little from the fruits obtained on the mother trees as a result of natural pollination. Hybrid fruits were sown and 79 hybrids were grown from them, which successfully grow at the Prisivash agroforestry experimental station and in the Veselobokovenkovsky arboretum. The highest height of walnut-pecan hybrids at 2 years of age is 104 cm, at 4 years of age 185 cm. Over a 3-4 year period of observation of hybrid seedlings in nurseries, their complete winter hardiness in these climatic conditions, timely beginning and end of the growing season was revealed . The high drought resistance of hybrid pecan plants is of great importance for these areas. In the spring of 1966, all hybrids were planted from the nursery to a permanent area in the plantation, where they are currently growing.

The experiments carried out theoretically show the full possibility of intergeneric crossings in the Nut family, and in practical terms, the possibility of successful acclimatization of such valuable heat-loving species as pecans using distant hybridization methods.

Pecans reproduce by vegetative and seed methods. Methods of its vegetative propagation include propagation by grafting, root suckers and cuttings. The most common method of grafting when cultivating pecan varieties. The grafting rootstock is seedlings of wild forms of pecan or white hickory (Carya alba C, Koch.). Pecan grafting in Abkhazia is done during the period of strong shoot growth in June, as well as in August and September. Budding is carried out in a ring or semi-ring in 2-3 year old rootstocks, the survival rate of the eyes is 80-90%. At the Vakhsh station (Tajikistan), the best method of grafting turned out to be budding with a shield without wood, which gives a survival rate of more than 90%.

Pecans also produce root suckers that take root well when transplanted. You can also propagate pecans from root cuttings.

To propagate pecans by shoot cuttings, young shoots that have begun to lignify are used. The dimensions of the cuttings are 25-30 cm, thickness 1 cm. The cuttings are treated with a solution of alpha-naphthylacetic acid (250 mg/l) for 24 hours or with indolylbutyric acid and after treatment they are planted in a cold greenhouse or greenhouse, preferably with artificial fog. Rooting experiments on pecan cuttings by I. E. Smith et al. in 1974, 1975 in Africa, showed that semi-lignified cuttings 25 cm long rooted by 83%.

Pecan seeds are sown in the fall after harvest or stratified for 60 to 90 days before planting in the spring. Stratification of pecan seeds is carried out in the same way as walnut seeds.

Pecan seeds are sowed in nurseries in rows or in furrows in beds. The seeding depth is 6-8 cm, 18-20 pieces are sown per 1 m. seeds Crops are mulched and watered in dry conditions. Shoots appear in a month. Caring for crops involves weeding and loosening the soil. Annual seedlings have a height of 10 to 25-30 cm. Well-developed seedlings are suitable for transplanting at 1 year of age, while small ones are suitable only at 2 or even 3 years of age. Pecan seedlings for rootstocks are grown in the school nursery department.

In addition to garden pecan plantations created by planting varietal seedlings, this breed can be grown by sowing seeds directly to a permanent place or by planting seedlings in forest crops, in landscaping roads and populated areas. The distances between pecan trees in rows and between rows on plantations in Abkhazia are recommended to be 15-20 m; in forest crops and alley plantings they can be 10 m. Cherry plum, plum, peach, dogwood, quince, low-growing varieties of hazelnuts and etc. Caring for pecan plantings involves regularly weeding and loosening the soil; trunk care is necessary in order to develop a trunk 1.5-2 m high, similar to the same operation for walnuts.

Pecan trees planted in our country do not have insect pests and are not susceptible to diseases. At home in North America, pecans suffer from scab (Fusicladium), which affects shoots, leaves and fruits. Pecan trees growing in southern North America in humid conditions are especially susceptible to this disease. Scab appears as a cluster of dark brown and dark spots on the affected areas, leading to drying out of trees. Control measures - spraying with Bordeaux mixture at least 4 times during the growing season. Essential measures are the selection of pecan varieties immune to this disease, proper management of plantations, sanitary felling and destruction of affected branches, etc.

Other pecan diseases include galls, rosette and leaf spot.

The main insects that damage pecans are the black aphid (Myzocallis), the scale insect (Melanaspis), and the pecan or hickory weevil (Curculio). These insects are combated by spraying trees with various approved pesticides.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

The common pecan (Illinois pecan) is one of the relatives of the walnut. This plant can be found all over the globe: in the USA, Central Asia, the Caucasus and Crimea. The distinctive feature of the nuts of this variety is the unusual taste of the fruit, but these nuts, if consumed in excess, can lead to obesity.

Pecans produce unusually flavored nuts

Characteristics of pecans

Biologists classify the common pecan as one of those tree species that have the property of rapid growth, but it is not activated immediately. In its natural environment, this species grows up to 60 meters. In hot climates, the tree reaches 40 meters in a short time. In colder regions its height does not exceed 10–15 meters.

During the first three years, young pecans gain strength, and the root system grows to the level at which it has access to water, so the tree itself grows to 40–45 cm. Garden pecan grows with a straight trunk, from which strong branches extend. Even without pruning, the crown of the tree grows well-shaped - slightly elongated, ovoid or spherical.

The pecan tree grows with bark colored gray. The bark of old trees cracks and streaks of gray-brown color appear on it.

The foliage of the pecan tree is rich green. The leaves consist of feathers, the number of which ranges from 11 to 17 pieces. Each feather is elongated and pointed towards the end. The leaf dimensions are on average 9–12 cm in length and 2.5–7 cm in width.

The formation of the fruits of the tree occurs in October. The nuts have an elliptical shape, a matte shell, and a pointed end. The central part of the fruit produced by the American black walnut, when cracked, springs out of the red-brown shell that holds and surrounds the core. The inside of the nut consists of two identical cotyledons. In this respect, Brazil nuts are similar to walnuts. In tropical areas, the fruits of this tree can become food for toucans. The harvest is harvested in November, but there are varieties that ripen fruit earlier.

The pecan tree grows up to 60 meters in height

Growing conditions

Many gardeners may be interested in how to grow a tree that is more often found in America than in colder regions. You can grow not only walnuts, but also plants similar to them on your plot.

In order for nuts of this type to grow without difficulty, it is worth paying attention to the characteristics of the soil substrate. Ideal soil qualities:

1. The soil is loose and allows moisture and air to pass through.
2. Groundwater flows at great depths.
3. High level of fertility of the site.
4. The presence of a drained soil layer.

Those who grow this walnut tree claim that it can easily tolerate drought, but abundant watering will allow you to fully experience the richness of the piquant notes of the taste of the fruits that the plants give the gardener. This representative of the fauna itself tolerates temperatures dropping to -20–25 °C.

The first harvest appears after 8 years of pecan cultivation; it is usually not rich - 2 kg of nuts, but the collected nuts give such a total weight only in the first year of fruiting. At the 20th year of a tree’s life, a gardener can collect up to 200 kg of nuts.

Reproduction methods and planting rules

As a mountain relative, pecan survives well in a variety of conditions. This tree can be propagated in several ways:

• grafting onto a related variety (for example, white Pecan);
• budding;
• cuttings;
• seed propagation.

In the latter case, ripe fruits are planted, which have separated from their peel without the help of natural forces (wind) or human intervention. The color of this nut is brown or chocolate, the surface does not contain any traces of rotting or darkening. The fruits are planted in previously prepared furrows, their depth is 10 cm. The nut is placed in the furrow and sprinkled with soil on top.

Planting scheme: 10 to 15 seedlings are placed per 1 m of soil. It is recommended to make furrows at a distance of at least 1 meter from each other. This will harden the seedlings in winter and ensure natural stratification.

Spring planting of seedlings takes place no earlier than April. The spring planting procedure is more labor-intensive and requires preparatory work:

1. Carry out artificial stratification.
2. Soak the planting material in a container with water for 2–3 days.
3. Place seedlings soaked in water in moistened peat or sawdust. The wood must be fresh.
4. Move the planting material to the balcony or cellar.
5. Control the soil substrate: maintain constant humidity and temperature conditions up to 4 °C.
6. Keep the seedlings in a cold room for 8 weeks.

Planting material is planted according to the same pattern as in the fall. The basic rule is the correct selection of a site for growing a tree. The place should be well lit and provide the young tree with protection from strong winds.

When choosing a place to plant this nut, it is important that there is no stagnation of water in the area. Otherwise, the plant may die from rotting of the root system before rooting is completed.

Sprouted pecan

In the first years of life, trees of this species are characterized by slow growth. In three years, a seedling can only reach 35 cm in height. Therefore, it is advised to replant the pecan to a permanent place of residence when the tree is 4 years old.

To plant in a permanent place, a hole measuring 60x60 cm is dug in the soil. Pecans do not take soil with a high level of acidity very well, so lime is used to neutralize the environment. Rotted compost is used as fertilizer. Its use makes it possible to make the soil more fertile and nutritious.

Before placing it in the soil, all remaining soil is removed from the roots, the rhizomes are carefully leveled, and sprinkled with soil on top. The soil around the trunk of the seedling is compacted to prevent the appearance of hollow holes in which moisture can stagnate. A mandatory measure is moderate watering of the seedling.

Before planting a pecan seedling, the roots should be cleared of soil.

Fertilizing is carried out in autumn and spring. At the beginning of the year, nitrogen fertilizers are used, which act as a shoot growth stimulator. In the autumn season, phosphorus and potassium are used as fertilizing.

Older trees also need feeding. The materials used are superphosphate, urea, saltpeter, and potassium salt. Feeding old nuts is carried out during the autumn season.

When growing pecans in a garden plot, another measure to care for the plant is spring rejuvenating and sanitary pruning. Branches that grow improperly, are broken, or are infested with pests must be removed.