Pecan Tree Case Study

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A man (let’s call him Joe) injects an unknown hormone, provided by a veterinarian, into a pecan tree. The following season, the pecan tree produces crop for the first time. Thereafter, the pecan tree produces crop the following seasons without acquiring another hormone shot. Is the crop production due to the hormone shot or other factors?
Cattle breeders inject their female cattle (cows) with hormones to help with reproduction for reasons such as fertility and synchronization. With fertility help, the cow is injected with a hormone such as GnRH in Factrel, Fertagyl, and Cystrolrelin to help start ovulation. Once the cow begins to ovulate, it may become pregnant. Another reason hormone injections are used in cows is for synchronization. The …show more content…

Pecan trees are also deciduous angiosperms. I believe it is safe to say that his pecan tree was not producing because it may have not been fully mature at the time that it was given a shot. Also, as a cattle farmer, or rancher, Joe probably owns hundreds if not thousands of acres of land for his cattle to roam. It is possible that Joe may have not come across the tree until it had just obtained characteristics of a pecan tree and was only a few years old and immature. Depending on the species, the pecan tree can produce crop at 6 years old but some, such as ‘Stuart,’ require more years. Another possibility is a low crop yield that was so small that Joe may not have even noticed the tree producing. Pecan trees have both male and female flowers so it has the ability to self-fertilize; however, its best crop production comes from being cross pollinated by wind or insects. If Joe doesn’t have another pecan tree in the area, this self-fertilization could have led to a low crop yield. Also, pecan trees have a severe problem with alternative bearing. This is when the tree produces a fruit one or two years but not the next. This is because the trees do not have enough carbohydrate reserves to use in crop production for the following season. Finally, another possible scenario is that the pecans were eaten by other organisms before Joe could get to the tree. Crows, other birds, and squirrels consume a lot of pecans. They could have eaten the entire crop before Joe even noticed. This would be more of a possibility of Joe not noticing the crop if the tree was producing a low crop yield and that low yield was being consumed by

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