Impacts of hedging on pest populations in pecans

Pecans rank as one of the top ten commodities in Georgia, with a 2017 Farm Gate Value of $401M, and like other crops, they are susceptible to pests. Hedging is the practice of pruning the sides and tops of trees and is used as a management strategy to control the size of the trees. Despite having multiple studies investigating the effects of hedging on horticultural parameters, there is lack of information on how such horticultural management strategy impacts insect pests of pecans. Our objectives include determining the relative impacts of hedging on insect pest populations and insect related damage in 1) hedging older versus younger trees and 2) summer hedging versus winter hedging. The insect pests we monitored included leaf feeders (aphids and mites) and nut feeders (weevils). Leaf feeders can cause premature defoliation and the nut feeders can cause nut injury. The study was conducted in three commercials orchards, with one comparing summer vs winter hedging, one comparing hedged and unhedged older trees (~40 years old), and one comparing hedged and non-hedged younger (~25 year old) trees. Leaf and nut samples were taken three times throughout the growing season from the upper and lower canopies to monitor for insect pests and their related damage. Results from the first year are still pending.