Pecan growing as an industry is evolving significantly and rapidly with the continued introduction of early harvest varieties (EHVs). The USD A Pecan Breeding Program deserves accolades for making controlled crosses that have combined traits of largenut size, excellent kernel quality and early harvest, which has both expanded the industry's growing range to the north and lengthened the market period for new-crop pecans. Members of the Texas Pecan Growers Association were surveyed in 2009 about whatnew varieties they were planting and considered most important to their business. Two of the top three varieties listed were Pawnee (23%) and Kanza (9%), which indicates grower adoption of early harvest varieties. The advantages of early harvest have been mentioned before (Goff, 2007), and include such things as reduced risk of freeze damage, escaping late tropical storms, less exposure to pest problems, and of course, good potential for high prices (notice the word "potential"). The new USDA variety, Mandan, reached 70% shucksplit (a harvestable state), on September 16th at Brown wood, Texas; five and thirty-five days earlier than Pawnee and Desirable, respectively, at the same location.
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