By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
Earlier this month, pecans from Georgia were brought to a shelling plant in El Paso, which is in violation of Texas plant material quarantine laws.
More than 60 loads of untreated pecans were intercepted by Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) inspectors at the El Paso plant, according to Bob Whitney, Texas Pecan Board executive director. An additional 30 loads en route to the sheller were turned back and directed to a cold storage facility for treatment before crossing the Texas state line.
Untreated pecans pose a danger to Texas pecan growers, because they may spread pecan weevils, a species of beetle that feeds on immature pecan nuts and lays eggs in mature nuts. The weevil can cause severe nut damage and crop loss.
Texas quarantine areas include all counties of the state except El Paso, Hudspeth, Culberson, Jeff Davis and Presidio. Out-of-state quarantined areas include every other U.S. state except Arizona, California and most of New Mexico.
To prevent the spread of pecan weevils, unshelled pecans brought into Texas from these areas must be treated before crossing state lines or moving into an area outside the quarantine zones.
As written in the Texas Administrative Code, TDA has approved two forms of in-shell treatment for pecans to prevent the spread of pecan weevils. One treatment is cold storage at 0 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of seven days after the entire lot has reached the desired temperature. The other in-shell treatment option is complete immersion in a hot water bath at or above 140 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of 30 seconds.
“This law is in place to protect West Texas pecan farm families, as well as pecan farms in Arizona, California and New Mexico,” Whitney said. “Unfortunately for farm families in the quarantine area, cold treatment is a hassle, and costly, too.”
In an attempt to work with Texas-based pecan growers and shippers, TDA allows in-shell pecan nuts from quarantined areas in Texas to ship directly to cold treatment facilities in pecan weevil-free areas under conditions outlined in a compliance agreement. According to TDA, the special dispensations were made due to a lack of treatment facilities in quarantined areas.
The agency emphasizes a compliance agreement must be obtained before attempting to move pecans to an approved cold storage facility outside the quarantine zone.
Shipments of out-of-state pecans are not eligible for the special rule dispensation, nor can out-of-state shippers obtain compliance agreements from TDA.
“The Texas Pecan Board is working with TDA to develop guidance for how we might certify counties or even orchards as weevil-free. This will take time, but the process has begun,” Whitney said.
For information on how to treat pecan weevils in pecan orchards, visit the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service website.