By Clint Thompson
The focus on scab disease remains a vital part of pecan breeding research at the University of Georgia (UGA), says UGA pecan breeder Patrick Conner. He discussed the ‘Golding’ variety at this year’s Georgia Pecan Growers Association Conference in Perry, Georgia.
Golding has good scab resistance.
“Scab is a primary determinant of whether a selection will be a cultivar. It has to have at least good levels of resistance,” Conner said. “Better levels of resistance will make it more likely to get released.”
Scab Disease
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.
If pecan varieties have stronger levels of resistance, they would require fewer fungicide sprays.
Conner said Golding has already been approved for release. Two nurseries have a license to propagate it. There is limited graft wood right now, but there is a large block coming into production. Conner estimates there will be large amounts of graft wood available over the next two or three years.
The Golding variety is a mid-season cultivar, ready for harvest before Desirable.
“The growers need different levels of harvest. You can’t harvest everything in September. You need cultivars to come off a little bit later as well,” Conner said.