Current Study Reveals Nut Firmness Could Affecl Weevil's Infection Activity

摘要

Shell hardening is a natural defense that nut crops have to ward off insects, fungal infections, and to lock in moisture; however, this is a research topic that has drawn little attention in pecans. Previous research in pistachio demonstrates that shell-hardening fits the Gompertz non-linear model perfectly with a similar growth curve for kernel development. In pistachio, the status of nut maturityprovides growers information to manage insects such as Mirid (Calocoris norvegicus) and Lygus (Lygus hesperus) bugs, which can deform young nuts before shell-hardening reaches a hardness value where pest control is no longer necessary (Zhang et al., 2018).