Abstract
Abstract In an attempt to solve the problems of nonuniform and delayed shuck dehiscense of pecan [Carya illinoensis (Wangenh.) C. Koch], ethephon and NAA were evaluated for their efficacy as harvest-aid treatments. A 3-year study under commercial-like orchard conditions using 75-year-old ‘Stuart’ trees resulted in a spray mixture of 9 mm ethephon and 1.5 or 3.0 mm NAA, or just 9 mm ethephon alone, accelerating shuck dehiscence by 1 to 2 weeks relative to that of the nontreated control. While all three treatments induced some degree of leaflet abscission, the two treatments employing the NAA and ethephon combination induced only about one-fourth (21% vs. 75%) as much leaflet abscission as when ethephon was used alone. However, this level of leaflet abscission (21%), plus an associated 50% drop in net photosynthesis for several days post-treatment, was sufficient to reduce in-shell nut yields in subsequent years. This appears to preclude commercial acceptability of such treatments for pecan. Chemical names used: (2-chloroethyl)phosphonic acid (ethephon), 1-napthaleneacetic acid (NAA).
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