Excerpt from Insect Pests and Diseases of the PecanBut it is often a waste of time and money to apply insect and disease control measures to poor varieties or to trees that lack vigor because of inadequate soil fertility, overcrowding, or general neglect. To produce profitable crops, the pecan grower must adhere to cultural practices that pro mote tree vigor, stimulate fruiting, and minimize the damage caused by pests. For example, trees weakened by inadequate nitrogen fertilization and rank weed growth are more susceptible to damage by some leaf-spotting fungi. Conversely, too much nitrogen, which promotes season-long growth, can produce tender shoots that are highly susceptible to the scab fungus. Many disease organisms thrive under conditions that favor summer growth flushes. Practices that allow good air circulation such as wide spacing of trees, removal of lower limbs, and maintenance of low ground cover and hedgerows in summer facilitate disease and insect control.Ground sanitation is partially effective against most fungus diseases because the overwintering stage can often be eliminated. Ground trash such as broken limbs, shucks, and insect-infested nuts should be removed from the grove during the winter. Disking to turn under trash is not ad visable unless no other means of debris disposal is available. (disking can spread crown gall, and the resulting root pruning can lead to nutrient deficiencies, especially rosette.) This publication is not concerned with specific chemical control, the grower should refer to Stateextension service bulletins, which are updated often, or contact local extension service agents. Rather, our objective is to describe the biology of the insects and diseases and their symptoms in the grove and to outline general control measures.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.