By Clint Thompson
This year’s pecan crop in the Southeast is not in any danger from pecan scab disease any more this season. That’s a huge relief for Georgia and Alabama growers on the cusp of harvest season.
Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist, discussed the disease and why it should not impact what remains in this year’s crop.
“I think we’re past any real danger from scab. Once those nuts stop sizing, you don’t have as much new tissue developing there. Scab really likes that new tissue. Once the sizing is done and they’re not expanding any more, there’s not a lot of new tissue there. The scab susceptibility drops,” Wells said. “You may get a little scab, but at this point, mostly, if they’re fairly clean, any scab they would get at this point forward is pretty much going to be cosmetic. It’s not going to affect the nut.”
Scab is a fungal disease that infects the leaves or nuts of pecan trees. If scab impacts the nut early enough in the production season, it can cause the nut to blacken and fall from the tree. It excels on trees that have received moisture. Some growers must make at least 10 fungicide applications during an average year to manage the disease.