Research

Help is just a click away for pecan growers trying to figure out the best time to irrigate their trees.

Last year, NMSU researchers unveiled the Pecanigator, a palm-sized device that tells growers when to irrigate. Today, pecan growers can go online at: http://nmclimate.nmsu.edu and look at the pecan irrigation-scheduling estimator.

The online version provides identical information as the original Pecanigator and keeps the process just as simple. It provides data for the Mesilla Valley and will soon have information for the Pecos River Valley in Southeastern New Mexico.

"Pecans are hugely important in the state and the region," said Richard Heerema, NMSU Extension pecan specialist. He said pecans account for more agricultural acreage than any other crop in the Mesilla Valley, and the number of pecan acres increases each year.

"Water stress, more than anything, will affect pecan yield and quality," Heerema said. "That's why a tool like this is so important."

The original Pecanigator resembled a slide rule. Growers could simply line up the date they last watered with their soil texture to determine when they needed to irrigate again.

"We think this will benefit small-scale and medium-scale growers, which make up the largest percentage of growers in the Mesilla Valley," Heerema said. He also said that, to be most effective, the Pecanigator should be used in combination with soil-moisture monitoring equipment, and a good dose of common sense.