What can I do to improve the quality of my pecans?
Pecan quality, during any given year, depends on the health of the tree and the environmental conditions during the growing season. There should be no standing water under the tree for over 24 hours after a rain. Surface ditches may be necessary to overcome poor drainage. Maintain a vegetative free area under the canopy of the tree or trees. Dead grass under the canopy of the tree is almost as beneficial as irrigation.Use clovers on an orchard floor to help supply needed nitrogen and also beneficial insects that feed on aphids in the pecan trees. The clover should die out by mid-summer, decreasing moisture competition. If needed, thin trees or prune single trees to insure wind movement. The disease "scab" requires moisture to grow.
Soil test and follow recommendations prior to March 15. This would eliminate any possibility of nutrient deficiencies.
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Fruit production requires considerable effort, and some fruits require much more care than others -- facts specialists with the Mississippi State University Extension Service keep in mind as they provide research and information support to the industry.
MSU has ongoing blueberry research at the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville and the Beaumont Horticultural Unit, and muscadine research at Beaumont and the McNeill Research Unit. MSU also has trials and research on blackberries, wine grapes, elderberries, passion fruit and strawberries.
RAYMOND, Miss. -- A statewide citrus quarantine was issued recently for Mississippi after one of the most serious citrus plant diseases in the world was detected in the state. Citrus greening, also known as Huanglongbing or HLB, was confirmed earlier this year, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or USDA APHIS. There is no cure for the disease, which is caused by a bacterial infection spread by the Asian citrus psyllid, a gnat-sized insect. Infected trees die within a few years.
RAYMOND, Miss. -- A large group of agricultural producers and industry professionals met with Mississippi State University personnel during the 2025 Central Mississippi Producer Advisory Council meeting Feb. 18 in Raymond at the Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center. The annual forum provides clients, MSU administrators, researchers, specialists and Extension agents an opportunity to meet in small commodity groups to discuss the research and educational needs of producers in the region.
