Distance Education Course -Growing Nuts
There are hundreds of different nut plants that are grown as food crops around the world. You may well only think of a dozen or so of these when you talk about nuts; and for the main part this course concentrates on those nuts which are more familiar to you; and more widely grown commercially.
The course will however also broaden your awareness of what can be grown; and perhaps introduce you to some commercial possibilities you may not have previously considered.
Lesson Structure
There are 8 lessons in this course:
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Introduction
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What is a Nut
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Identifying Plants Accurately
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Classification of Nuts into their Plant Families
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Juglanaceae,
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Coylaceae,
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Fagaceae,
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Burseraceae,
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Lecthidaceae
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Sterculiaceae
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Rosaceae
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Pinaceae
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Anacardiaceae, etc
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Review of Botany of Nuts: flowers and fruit development
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Resources
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The Most Commonly Grown Varieties
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Overview of Nut Culture
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Comparing most common nuts
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Terminology
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Almond
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American Hazlenut
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Cashew
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Peanut
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Walnut
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Macadamia
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Culture of Nuts
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Site Selection and Management
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Soils
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Soil Testing
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Water Management
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Nutrition and Feeding
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Plant Health: pest and disease, protection from wind, salt, air, etc
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Common problems with different types of nuts
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Planting
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Terminology
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Weed Management
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Pruning
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Less Common Nuts
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Pecan
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Pistacio
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Pine Nuts
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Auraucaria
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Chestnut
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Filbert
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Brazil Nut
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Beech
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Oak
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Sunflower
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Pili Nut
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Cola Nut
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Cocao
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Hausa Groundnut
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Acacia, and more
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Propagation
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Seed Propagation of Nuts
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Cuttings
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Layering
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Grafting
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Propagating Corylus
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Propagating Pinus
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Propagating aids and structures
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Harvest and Post-harvest of Nuts.
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Harvesting
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Cleaning, Cracking and Shelling
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Drying and Storage
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Handling Almonds
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Cashews
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Chestnuts
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Pine nuts
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Walnuts
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Hazlenuts
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Pistacios
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Marketing Nuts
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Overview
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Where to sell nuts
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Marketing Processes
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Market Research
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Uses of Nuts: Food and other uses
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Workplace Health, Safety and Risk Management
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Duty of Care
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Risk Assessment in a Horticultural Enterprise
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Financial Risks
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Keeping the Workplace Safe
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Protective Clothing
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Equipment Safety (Tools and Machinery)
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Safety with Manual Handling and lifting
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
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On successful completion of the course you should be able to do the following:
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Identify different nut crop varieties.
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Determine the cultivation practices appropriate to a range of different nut crops.
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Determine how to propagate a range of different nut plants.
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Determine appropriate techniques for harvesting a nut crop.
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Specify an appropriate post-harvest treatment for a nut crop.
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Develop marketing strategies for nuts.
What You Will Do
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Here are just some of the things you will be doing:
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Distinguish between common and scientific perceptions of the term nut.
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Compare the botanical characteristics of the fruits from different nut genera.
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Describe the botanical classification of different species of nut plants, including where appropriate, botanical interrelationships.
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Prepare a plant collection of different nut varieties, including the following details on each plant:
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Plant names (Common and scientific)
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A photo, illustration or pressed specimen
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Cultural details
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Harvest & Post-harvest
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Uses (eg. valuable products).
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Develop a resource file of information relevant to the nut growing industry, including:
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Suppliers of nut plants
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Trade or grower associations
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Publications
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Perform simple tests on three different soils to determine:
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Soil type
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pH
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Drainage
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Water holding capacity
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Test and evaluate different soils to determine nut varieties suitable for growing in each.
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Explain soil management requirements for at least ten different nut varieties, including:
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Nutrition
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Soil structure
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Physical attributes
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Explain the control of different pests and diseases on different nut varieties.
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Develop guidelines for the culture of a specified variety of nut, in your locality, including:
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Watering
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Weed control
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Soil management
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Fertilising
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Pest control
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Disease control
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Prepare a twelve month plan for cultural practices on a specified nut plantation.
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Explain different methods of propagating different nut species, including:
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Seed
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Grafting
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Layering
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Cuttings
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Determine propagation methods for ifferent nut species, including where applicable, rootstock variety names.
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Demonstrate how to prepare cuttings for dfferent nut species.
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Demonstrate three different types of grafts, suitable for propagating nut varieties.
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Determine seed germination procedures for different nut genera.
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Prepare a production schedule, for nursery production of a specified type of nut.
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Propagate different nut plant varieties.
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Explain the operation of a mechanical harvester which can be used for nuts.
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Determine when to harvest different specified nut species.
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Compare the efficiency of four different techniques for harvesting nuts.
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Describe two different storage techniques for a specified nut variety.
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Determine the optimum environmental conditions for the storage of different nut species.
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Evaluate three different samples of nuts, which have been stored using different techniques.
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Determine the commercial processing techniques used for five specified nut species.
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Explain post-harvest handling of a specified nut species, by a commercial plantation in a specified locality.
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Determine different ways in which nuts can be consumed.
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Compare different ways nuts are packaged for retailing, with reference to different factors including:
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Physiological impact on the nut
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Cost of packaging
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Presentation
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Explain the marketing of two different specified nut products, in a specified locality.
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Develop a marketing plan for one specified type of nut.
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Plus - Special Assignment - PBL Project Develop a plan for growing selected varieties of nuts in a specific location
The Scope of Nuts
Botanists define a nut as follows:
"A dry, indehiscent, one seeded fruit, somewhat similar to an achene, but the product of more than one carpel, and usually larger with a hard woody wall" (Reference: A Dictionary of Biology by Abercrombie et al, published by Penguin).
Indehiscent simply means that the fruit does not break open readily and release the seed of its own accord.
The seed and the fruit of a nut is one and the same ie. one cannot be removed from the other. True nuts are produced by – the oak (Quercus), chestnut, filbert, hickory, macadamia, hazelnut and others.
Whereas the seeds of some plants we think of as nuts (such as almonds, walnuts and coconuts), are actually the seeds of ‘drupe’ fruits ie. contained within the fruit of the plant (and therefore not ‘true’ nuts). Cashews are actually the seed of the plant, and the peanut (to complicate matters), is not actually a nut but a legume (like peas and beans).
(Note: legumes such as wattles or peas in contrast to indehiscent fruit are dehiscent fruits ie. they dry, and then drop seeds while the dry fruits are still attached to the plant).
Horticulturists and nut growers be less rigid in the way they define a nut. Generally speaking nuts are edible fruits or parts of fruits which are hard, relatively dry (unlike fleshy fruits), and are able to be roasted for eating, or in many cases, may be eaten fresh. In some cases, the roasting may destroy undesirable chemicals in the nut, or may enhance the flavour.
In the strict botanical sense, a peanut would not be a nut, because there can be more than one seed inside a fruit; however peanuts are perhaps the most widely grown commercial nut in the world.
Nuts (above all) have a distinct advantage over other fruits in their keeping quality. Being a dry product, they are less susceptible to spoilage, and will generally store well without any sophisticated or expensive storage treatments. This characteristic alone extends their marketing life, and can eliminate many problems associated with other types of crops. (Note: they may need protection from pests though (eg. rodents and other vermin).
There are many nuts which are grown and eaten in one region, but not commonly heard of in other parts of the world. This is particularly the case in many tropical areas, where nuts which are eaten by local people and may offer significant potential for future commercial cropping.
REASONS TO STUDY WITH ACS DISTANCE EDUCATION
- Reputation:
-teaching Horticulture since 1979
-exceptional faculty staff (see below) - Hands on: develop practical as well as theoretical skills
- Uniqueness:
-successful people are always those who can offer a skill or service that others can't
-this course is different; our graduates have different skills to set them apart. - Relevance -curriculum developed in response to industry needs
- Lots of help: personal, prompt attention from tutors
- Holistic Courses: We teach more than just "facts"
-success is only 20% about intelligence (and what you know)
-you also need to build networking, problem solving & communication skills, and more!
-this course helps you develop all of these things and more - Value: courses compare very favorably on a cost per study hour basis
- Up to date: courses under constant review
- Student amenities: This school is backed by over one of the most unique and comprehensive private collections of intellectual property in the horticultural industry. The principal and staff have written and published over 50 books and 150 gardening magazines, as well as 20,000 hours horticultural study programs. A team of 5 horticultural writers continue to develop and update new material continually. These resources together with web sites, an online student room, social media etc. provide a unique and comprehensive facility to support students studying with the school.
OUR FACULTY
These are just some of the people involved with developing and updating courses; and tutoring our horticulture students
John Mason Dip.Hort.Sc.
40 years + in horticulture Graduated from Burnley Horticultural College in 1971,Nurseryman, Landscape Designer and Parks Director through the 1970's. One of Australia's most published garden writers, author of books published by Simon and Schuster, Harper Collins, CSIRO and other major publishers; Editor for 4 different national gardening magazines; honored as a fellow of both the Institute of Horticulture in Australia and the Institute of Horticulture in the UK.
Gavin Cole B.Sc., M.Psych.
30 years + in horticulture. Renowned horticulturist and psychologist. Former operations manager for the highly regarded "Chelsea Gardener" landscape firm in London, garden writer and landscaper in both Brisbane and Adelaide in Australia.
Maggi Brown
40 years + in horticulture. Former education manager for "Garden Organic"; England's peak organic gardening and farming body.
Dr Lyn Morgan Phd
25 years + in horticulture. New Zealand based hydroponic consultant and author, with experience working everywhere from Asia to America.
Rosemary Davies Dip.Hort.Sc.
30 years + in horticulture; including Victorian Department of Agriculture Gradening Advisor, Gardening Editor/writer/author for major publishers and newspapers.
Diana Cole B,A., RHS Dip Hort, NTEC Higher Dip in Garden Design
15 years + in horticulture and landscaping
Adriana Fraser Adv.Dip.Hort.
30 years + in horticulture. Consultant, teacher, garden write, manager of plant collections
Bob James B.App.Sc(Hort), M. Env.Sc., Grad.Dip.Mgt., PDC, Dip.An.Husb.
Yvonne Sharpe Dip.Hort., M.Hort.
Martin Powdrill B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc. PDC
Marie Beerman B.Sc., M.Hort.
