Zinc Management in Arid Region Pecan Orchards

Abstract

Ever since the earliest pecan orchards were commercially planted in the southeastern US in the 19th century, various abnormal growth patterns called “rosette” and “little leaf” have been observed in the trees. Affected trees exhibited shortening of the shoot internodes, which gave shoots a “rosette”-type appearance. Leaf shape, size, and color were also noticeably affected: leaflets were much narrower and smaller in surface area, had wavy edges on the leaf margins, and exhibited a pale yellowish, or chlorotic color especially between the leaf veins. In more severe cases, leaflets showed dark necrotic blotches between the veins and eventually shoot terminal dieback (Alben et al., 1932; Heerema, 2013)(Figure 1).