Agronomic Behavior of Eighteen Pecan Cultivars in Southern Uruguay

The cultivation of pecan has been expanding in Uruguay for over 10 years. Given the lack of knowledge about its management and behavior under local conditions, the objective was to evaluate the viability and productive potential of different pecan cultivars, identifying those best suited to our soil and climate conditions. In 2010, a trial garden with 18 cultivars was established at INIA Las Brujas. The study assessed plant vigor, precocity, and yield (kg/plant) over nine consecutive harvests, along with phenology, and nut quality. The cultivars that have shown good productive performance are Oconee, Kiowa, Nacono and Success, in combination with Pawnee and Cape Fear to improve pollination, as these two cultivars exhibited protandry, while the first four exhibited protogyny. The flowering period occurred from late October to late November. The cultivars that demonstrated the fastest entry into production were Kiowa, Success, Oconee, Cape Fear, and Apache. This study represents the first evaluation of pecan cultivars conducted in the country, providing valuable information on their agronomic performance and aiding decision-making regarding which cultivars to plant under southern Uruguayan soil and climate conditions.