Virtually all commercial pecan trees are grafted. The graft union on this young tree is about 6 inches above the soil line. Where did the first successful pecan grafting occur?
The first successful pecan grafting took place in Edgefield, South Carolina, in 1822 by a physician and businessman named Abner Landrum. Though he was not the first person to attempt grafting pecans, he was the first to do so successfully by grafting pecan buds to young hickory root stocks. However, Landrum was ahead of his time, and there was no market for his grafted trees. Around 20 years later, grafting was revisited on a Louisiana plantation and mastered by an enslaved man known only as Antoine.
I recently visited the SC State Museum in Columbia for the first time in a long time. There is a large exhibit showing farm equipment used generations ago. In one area, a poster caught my eye that told of Dr. Abner Landrum, as well as another advancement in the pecan industry, the Quantz Rotary Nutcracker, first used by Golden Kernel Pecan Company in Cameron, SC. While you can see the poster below, I highly recommend visiting the museum when you have some spare time.
This week’s question is from Justin Ballew, Extension Fruit and Vegetable Research Associate.
The South Carolina Grower 