The effect of yield and quality variation on wholesale operations is probably less dramatic but no less important. Growers are paid a price dependent upon the national market and the quality of their pecans. Highest quality demands the highest price. Similar to retail sales, wholesale buyers remember producers with dependable yields of consistently high quality nuts and reward that in the long run. Alternate Bearing Alternate bearing refers to the tendency of pecan trees to follow a high production year with one or more years of relatively low production.
Intensive management reduces the natural tendency of pecan trees toward alternate bearing.
Pecan cultivars vary in their tendency toward alternate bearing. Those that yield the most in the shortest time after establishment also tend to be the most severe alternate bearers. Researchers are not certain about the causes of alternate bearing. Flower initiation and development in pecan is controlled by an interaction of several factors including carbohydrate reserves and a balance of plant hormones. Flowers that produce next year s crop are initiated during the time this year s crop is maturing.