A reduced early season irrigation schedule

Photo credit: Nature World News

A pecan orchard used in a research study demonstrated pecan trees can tolerate a 38 percent reduction in irrigation water use with no significant effect on nut yield or quality. (Photo : Lenny Wells.)

New Irrigation Strategies Combat Georgia Water Shortages And Aid Pecan Farmers

By Samantha Mathewson

Researchers from the University of Georgia have developed water-saving protocols for farmers looking to supply their pecan orchards with the ample amounts of water they require during their kernel-filling stage, which generally falls between August or September. Georgia is considered the largest pecan-producing state in the U.S. However, the state only receives an average rainfall of about 127 cm annually.

Even given the rain shortfall, Dr. Lenny Wells, author of the recent study from the Department of Horticulture at the University of Georgia, says current irrigation schedules are extremely outdated. In fact, he’s noted that procedures used today are based on a 1985 study related to plant water stress, evapotranspiration and soil water depletion generated in more arid climates.

Read the full story: Nature World News