Browsing by Subject "Pecan"
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Item An economic evaluation of the effectiveness of the Texas Pecan Checkoff Program(2009-05-15) Moore, Eli DelThe Texas Pecan Board was established in 1998 to administer the Texas Pecan Checkoff Program and is financed through a one-half cent per pound assessment on grower pecan sales. The Board spends the assessment collections on a variety of advertising campaigns in an attempt to expand demand for Texas pecans, both improved and native varieties, and increase the welfare of Texas pecan growers. This study presents an evaluation of the economic effectiveness of the Texas Pecan Checkoff Program in expanding sales of Texas pecans. First, the effects of Texas Pecan Board promotion on sales of all Texas pecans are determined using the ordinary least squares estimator (OLS) followed by a test for differential effects of Texas Pecan Board promotion on sales of improved and native Texas pecan varieties using the seemingly unrelated regression. The analysis indicates that the Texas Pecan Checkoff Program has effectively increased sales of improved varieties of Texas pecans, but has had no impact on sales of native varieties of Texas pecans. A benefit-cost analysis determines that the additional sales revenues generated is relatively large compared to the dollar value spent on promotion indicating that the Texas pecan promotion program has been financially successful.Item Effect of Pre and Post-Harvest Treatments on Characteristics of ?Pawnee? Pecan Kernels(2014-04-17) Mansur, Zainab JThe Hunter Lab color system and three visual rating scores (class 1 is the best) were used in this study to evaluate kernel color change and speckling, respectively, in ?Pawnee? pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] kernels. Three harvesting practices (?Direct?, early harvest and brought to the lab; ?Cluster?, late harvest; and ?Ground?, early harvest and kept on the ground of the orchard), four storage temperature combinations [oven at 80 ?C for 48 h then ambient temperature (?OA?), continuous ambient temperature (?AA?), ambient temperature then refrigeration at 6 ?C (?AR?), oven at 80 ?C for 48 h followed by refrigeration (?OR?)], and two shelling dates were conducted. Results indicated that ?Direct? and ?AR? treatments in the first shelling date were lighter and had more color saturation with less class 2 and 3 speckling. In contrast, 'Ground? and ?OA? treatments in the second shelling date were darker, and had less saturated color with a greater amount of dark spots. Another study was conducted to further understand the reasons of color changes and speckling appearance in ?Pawnee? kernels. Samples were subjected to four accelerating conditions (puncture, temperature, shelling, and storage time) assuming these might be positively correlated to reduced kernel color quality. The outcomes of this study implied that lightness, hue, and Chroma values were greater in 0 week of storage, shelled pecan, 25 ?C, not punctured kernel treatments and decreased in the three week, unshelled, and 40 ?C, punctured kernel treatments. Color changes were mostly related to the changes in lightness and hue, and to a lesser extent the changes in Chroma. Kernels from class 2 and class 3 of visual rating scale increased with an increase in the time of storage, accompanied with higher temperature. No significant effect was found for puncture or shelling treatments on speckling in ?Pawnee? pecan kernels.Item Measuring Root Growth Response to Nitrogen Fertilization Rates in Young Pecan Seedlings Using the Minirhizotron Method(2014-11-25) Graves, PaigePecan is an important nut crop in Texas and the United States. Increased demand for pecan exports has created an interest for new and current growers to plant new orchards. Nitrogen (N) application is an important step in establishing a productive pecan orchard, but few studies have determined how N affects the establishment of pecan tree roots, specifically fine roots (0-2 mm) responsible for nutrient uptake. The objectives of this study are to: 1) determine how fine root growth is impacted by five rates of N fertilizer and 2) pinpoint times in the growing season when fine root production peaks to time fertilizer applications for maximum N absorption. The minirhizotron method was used to observe root growth through time at two soil depths, 14-28 cm and 98-112 cm, from February 2010 to June 2012. Images were collected every two weeks, roots were traced individually, and date of birth and death, diameter, and length were recorded. Trees receiving 229.5 kg N ha^-1 (1N) had the greatest standing root length throughout the study at both depths observed. The 2N treatment showed decreased standing root length compared to most other treatments. Two peaks in root growth were observed, in March 2010 and April 2011, when trees began to come out of dormancy. Living root length steadily declined throughout the rest of the growing season. The 1N treatment had greater cumulative root growth than the other treatments and there was a depth effect observed. Root lifespan was influenced by both N treatment and depth. Roots receiving higher rates of fertilizer (1N and 2N) and those living in 14-28 cm of soil had a higher risk of mortality. Root birth season and diameter also affected lifespan. Roots born in spring and those with smaller diameters had a higher risk of mortality. These results support current extension service recommendations that 229.5 kg N ha^-1 is an appropriate amount of fertilizer and does not negatively affect root growth. However, application time could be moved to earlier in the season (March-April as opposed to May) to target the peak time for fine root growth and thus, N absorption.Item Poverty, solidarity, and opportunity: the 1938 San Antonio pecan shellers' strike(2009-05-15) Keyworth, Matthew JerridIn 1938, San Antonio?s pecan shellers waged a five-week strike against their employers. The shellers had few resources at their disposal, and, moreover, most of them were Mexican women. During the work stoppage, the picketers endured widespread opposition and police brutality. Nonetheless, the shellers forced their employers to arbitrate. Previous scholars have characterized the strike as spontaneous, but closer examination reveals the events and circumstances that spurred the shellers to action. Specifically, this work will address why the strike occurred at the beginning of 1938, and how the shellers achieved a successful outcome. Political and economic factors in the early twentieth century resulted in a massive wave of migration from Mexico into the U.S. Newly arrived Mexican workers faced discrimination in the workplace and in their personal lives. That discrimination resulted in low wages for Mexican workers. Low wages forced Mexicans in San Antonio to live in the city?s west side neighborhood, which lacked adequate housing and infrastructure. Such conditions gave pecan workers considerable reason to resent their employers and seek change. Grievances alone might explain why the shellers struck, but they do not explain the strike?s success. Pecan workers relied on solidarity formed over many years to sustain their work stoppage until their employers surrendered. Solidarity was formed in a variety of venues on the west side, in both formal and informal organizations. Leisure activities also fostered unity, often along cultural lines. The shellers also built a sense of togetherness through labor organizations and mutual aid societies. The political climate in San Antonio during the late 1930s provided the final piece to the puzzle of the strike?s success. Election results at the federal, state, and local levels signaled that voters sought the leadership of individuals who advocated increased rights for workers and minorities. The shellers seized on the political climate, waging their strike at a time when it stood a better than average chance to succeed. Without the combination of poverty, solidarity, and opportunity that existed for Mexicans on the west side in January 1938, the strike?s occurrence and outcome would have been in considerable doubt.Item The quantification of blackmargined aphid (Monellia caryella (Fitch)) honeydew production in pecan (Carya illinoinensis (Koch)) in Texas(2009-05-15) Honaker, Jessica MarieField studies of the blackmargined aphid, Monellia caryella (Fitch), were conducted on three cultivars, ?Cheyenne?, ?Kiowa?, and ?Pawnee?, of pecan, Carya illinoinensis (Koch). Aphid density and natural enemy (lacewings, ladybird beetles, and spiders) densities were determined biweekly by direct inspection of 160 leaves per variety during the 2005 and 2006 growing seasons. Honeydew deposition was measured biweekly using water sensitive cards. Aphid phenologies were similar among cultivars; however, ?Cheyenne? supported higher densities of aphids than either ?Kiowa? or ?Pawnee?. Honeydew production correlated positively with aphid density. Honeydew produced per aphid differed only between ?Cheyenne? and ?Pawnee? in 2006; natural enemies per aphid varied in significance during both seasons. Natural enemy densities increased during initial stages of outbreak on all cultivars in 2006. The asymptote reached on ?Cheyenne? had a lower natural enemy to aphid ratio than that on the other cultivars, indicating that the functional response of natural enemies to increased aphid densities was exhausted sooner on ?Cheyenne than on other cultivars?. Honeydew appears to be an attractant for natural enemies and cost-benefit calculations were made to quantify the loss of photosynthates to aphids for each cultivar versus the gain in natural enemies that occurred. ?Cheyenne? was the least efficient of the three cultivars in the utilization of this defense mechanism. The energy drain per hectare attributable by adult aphid feeding was, 761,197 ? 900,312kcal, 266,397 ? 237,709kcal, and 138,790 ? 134,223kcal for ?Cheyenne?, ?Kiowa?, and ?Pawnee?, respectively. Calculated nut-loss equivalents were 14 ? 16kg for ?Cheyenne?, 4 ? 5kg for ?Kiowa?, and 2kg for ?Pawnee?.