Pecan: from Research to the Brazilian Reality
Mauricio Gonçalves Bilharva *
Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil
Carlos Roberto Martins
Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Pelotas, Brazil
Jonas Janer Hamann
Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Brazil
Diniz Fronza
Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Brazil
Rudinei De Marco
Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil
Marcelo Barbosa Malgarim
Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Cultivation of pecan trees has increased in Brazil, mainly in the south, in recent years. Despite investments – triggered by the demand and promising market– made by both small and large farmers, actual productivity has still been below its potential. Lack of technical information not only about the culture of pecan trees but also about the development and adequacy of technologies, which are appropriate to the edafoclimatic conditions found in the south of Brazil, corroborate low productivity and poor investments in the sector, mainly preventing production from supplying the internal market. Some pioneering initiatives in the south of Brazil and positive experiences in neighboring countries, such as Argentina and Uruguay, have shown the potential to cultivate pecan in the region. This study aimed at introducing and analyzing the development of researches, general characteristics of the culture, the evolution of cultivation and dissemination of pecan trees in Brazil, mainly in the south of the country.
Keywords: Carya illinoinensis, cultivar, management, Pecan tree