Nacono

Average nut quality of test trees 2002-2013.

Cultivar	Yield	#Nuts/lb.	%Kernal	Cluster Size	Harvest Date
	lbs./tree/year				(50% shuck split)
Nacono	21.8	42	53%	3.0	Oct. 6
Desirable	20.3	45	51%	2.4	Oct. 14
Stuart	24.5	47	45%	2.6	Oct. 18

Average pest resistance of test cultivars 2002-2013.

Cultivar	Leaf Scab^Z	Nut Scab^Y	Black Aphid Damage^X	Sooty Mold Buildup^W
	Avg. (worst)^V	Avg. (worst)	Avg. (worst)	Avg. (worst)
Nacono	1.7 (3.7)	1.8 (4.2)	1.5 (2.5)	1.2 (2.2)
Desirable	2.2 (4.0)	2.9 (5.0)	1.7 (2.7)	1.1 (2.0)
Stuart	1.4 (2.8)	1.5 (3.5)	2.3 (3.8)	1.1 (2.0)

^Z 1=No scab, 2= Few stray spots, 3=Several spots with expanding lesions, 4=Stem scab or defoliation.
^Y 1=No scab, 2=Few stray spots, 3=Obvious scab but no quality loss (0-10%), 4=10-50% shuck coverage, 5=50-100% covered, nut drop.
^X 1=No damage, 2=Light spotting, less than 25% leaves affected, 3=Moderate spotting, 25-75% leaves, 4=Heavy spotting, >75% leaves affected, some leaves completely yellow.
^W 1=None, 2=Light, some black on few leaves, 3=moderate, black on most leaves, 4=Heavy, black flakes on leaves and stems.
^V Average score over all years and average of worst year for each trait.

Average yield (pounds nuts per tree) of test cultivars each year from planting in 2002.

Cultivar	# Trees	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Nacono	6	0	0	0.2	1.1	5	18	23	43	32	58	20	61
Desirable	6	0	0	0	0.5	3	11	23	24	45	53	45	43
Stuart	5	0	0	0	0	0.6	7	20	30	54	48	58	76

History

A selection from the cross 'Cheyenne' x 'Sioux' that was released in 2000 by the USDA. Large sized nut with excellent quality. 'Nacono' was originally tested as USDA 74-5-55.

Comments

'Nacono' was released by the USDA as a cultivar capable of producing a large, high-quality nut (Thompson and Grauke, 2001). Original testing indicated that this cultivar had moderate resistance to scab. We have seen a fair amount of scab on our sprayed trees, but less than 'Desirable'. Rating scab resistance on 'Nacono' has been tricky. We have seen some years where it looked as bad as 'Desirable', but in a wet 2013 with a good crop, scab was not bad at all. It will, however, require a full-season fungicide program to control scab.

This cultivar was planted in 2002 and bore its first crop in 2004. This is a precocious cultivar with high early yield potential due to large nuts and large clusters. Early results suggest thinning may be necessary in some years to maintain quality. The 2009 and 2011 yields were quite high in some trees with limb breakage. The following years the crop was very light. This suggests that alternate bearing may be a problem in the future. I have begun to notice that our 'Nacono' trees are smaller in size than their peers. This may be a trait that it inherited from 'Cheyenne' which is also noted for its smaller tree size. All in all, yield of 'Nacono' is not very high, but the nut would be valuable due to its size and attractiveness.

'Nacono' produces a big impressive nut with a relatively early harvest date. So far this has been a pretty nut each year. We discontinued testing 'Nacono' in 2013 due to scab susceptibility, and what look like mediocre yields. I think I would prefer to have Cherryle in my orchard if I were looking for a large pretty nut.

'Nacono' is a type II (protogynous) cultivar that would be pollinated by 'Amling', 'Byrd', 'Desirable', 'Mandan', and 'Pawnee'.