Pecan Store July 13th, 2009

The world of nuts has just gone about as high-tech as you can get. AZCentral.com recently reported that “researchers from New Mexico State University, Texas A&M and University of California-Davis recently received a three-year grant for nearly $870,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crops Research Initiative.” The grant will allow them to research and study NASA satellite images that could possibly offer insights into their tree nut crops including plant stress issues, pests and diseases.

The images will be measurable through light wavelengths, with each tree creating it’s own particular, signature wavelength. The ability to see what’s happening in their orchard could save farmers quite a bit of money, since the images will be able to spot problems and issues sooner than ever before.

And while Green Valley Pecan already has several high-tech processes and procedures in place to bring the freshest, crunchiest, most flavorful pecans to your table, this new scientific breakthrough could push the industry to a whole new level.

Here is why pecan farmers are excited about this technology:

“If a grower can go on the Internet and see the entire orchard, they can make more precise and accurate decisions on when to irrigate. This works to minimize stress and have a minimal amount of water wasted,” he said. “We already use irrigation water efficiently, but we’re looking to push that even further and be able to tailor it to individual orchards.”

Check out the complete article online here!

photo credit: RemusShepherd

• Agriculture , Technology
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