WARM CLIMATE NUTS BHT308

Learn to Grow A wide Variety of Nuts

The content of this course is very similar to the "Growing Nuts" course, except this deals exclusively with nuts grown in the tropics and sub-tropics.

There is a huge market for tropical nuts such as Macadamia, and more being nuts are being cultivated each year into the market.

This course is:

  • Suitable for tropical and subtropical climates
  • For orchard production or supplementary cropping
  • Diversify your food crops

Course Structure and Contents

This course contains 8 lessons:

  1. Introduction Review of the system of plant identification, main groups of nuts, information contacts (i.e. nurseries, seed, clubs etc.)  
  2. Culture Planting, staking, mulching, watering, pest & disease, feeding, pruning, protection from wind, salt air etc.  
  3. Propagation Methods of propagating this group of plants. Propagation of selected varieties.  
  4. The Macadamia  
  5. The Pecan  
  6. Other Varieties which Grow in Warm Climates.  
  7. Selecting a site and planting a plot.  
  8. Growing, harvesting and using nuts.

 

Duration - 100 hours

 

Scope

The study of nuts is a bigger field than many people might realize. There are many different plants that produce edible nuts in warm climates. Here are some of the groups of plants they belong to:


Career Opportunities

  • Working on nut production farms
  • Starting your own nut farm
  • Marketing  nuts
  • Making nut products such as nut butters and confectionery

 

Family Proteaceae...

Includes the genera:

  • "Macadamia"
  • "Brabejum" (Wild Almond)
  • "Finschia"
  • "Hicksbeachia" (Monkey nut)

 

Most Proteaceae share the following characteristics:

a/ Leaves are thick and leathery. This type of foliage allows them to withstand water stress better than many other types of plants. They are likely to be wind resistant and tolerant of dry air conditions (i.e. low humidity).

b/ Most grow continuously all year round in mild climates (some have a short dormant period over summer).

c/ Most have proteoid roots. (i.e. Proteoid roots are a type of root which is able to absorb nutrients from soils which have very low levels of nutrients ‑where other types of roots would not absorb nutrients). Proteaceae plants will grow on relatively infertile soils; some in fact do not tolerate fertile soils.

d/ There tends to be a great deal of variation within a species in terms of flower, foliage and growth habit.

 

Family Burseraceae...

Includes the genera:

  • "Boswellia" (Indian Olibanum)
  • "Canarium" (Pili Nut)

 

Family Lecthidaceae...

Includes the genus "Bertholetti" (Brazil Nut)

 

Family Sterculiaceae...

Includes the genera :

  • "Cola" (Cola nut)
  • "Theobroma" (Cocoa)

 

Family Anacardiaceae...

Includes the genera:

  • "Anacardium" (Cashew)
  • "Aleurites" (Candle nut)

There are around 60 genera and 600 species in this family; and most are trees and shrubs (occasionally climbers). Leaves are usually alternate and compound. Flowers can be unisexual or bisexual. Flowers typically have 5 or 10 stamens. Ovary is superior with 3 united carpels.

 

Family Leguminosae:

(NOTE: this family is now split into Fabaceae, Mimosaceae or Caesalpiniaceae)

Includes the genera:

  • "Arachia hypogaea" (Peanut)
  • "Kerstingiella geocarpa" (Hausa groundnut)
  • "Acacia albida" (and seed of some other species can be roasted and eaten)
  • "Castenospermum australe" (was eaten by Australian aborigines)

Legumes can be identified by the fruits which are pods, enclosing the seeds.

 

Family Asteraceae...(NOTE: this family is now known as Compositae)

Includes the genera:

  • "Balsamorhiza sagitta" (Sunflower)
  • "Carthamus tinctorius" (Safflower)

The Asteraceae or "Daisy" family comprise a very large family of about 800 genera and 12,000 species. The flowers are actually a composite of several small flowers fused together to appear as one flower. If the flower is pulled apart it can be seen that it is made up of several individual units, each one having its own set of floral parts (i.e. petal, stamen, stigma, ovary etc). Some Asteraceae flowers are incomplete and have only some of the floral parts (eg. Helichrysum, Dahlia, Zinnia, Marigold, Tansy, Chrysanthemum, Lettuce, Sunflower etc).

 

Family Cucurbitaceae...(NOTE: this family is now known as Brassicaceae)

Includes the genera:

  • "Cucurbita pepo" (Pumpkin) (Seeds eaten)
  • "Carthamus tinctorius" (Oyster nut)

The cucurbits are creepers, warm season plants. Flowers are 5 lobed & often monoecious (ie: contain either male or female parts only).

 

Family Palmaceae...(NOTE: this family is now known as Aracaceae)

Includes the genera:

1. "Cocos nucifera" (Coconut)

....there are many other palm nuts that are considered edible, though only some are considered pleasant to taste.

2. “Areca catechu (Betel nut)

The palm family includes not only tall tree like plants, but also low shrubby species and climbers.

Leaves form a terminal cluster and are palmate (fan types) pinnate or sometimes bipinnate. Flowers are usually unisexual. Fruit is a berry or drupe, enclosing a hard seed.

 

Family Pinaceae...

Includes the genera:

  • "Pinus pinea" (Stone Pine)
  • "Pinus cembrioides" (Mexican Nut Pine)

Plants in this family are mainly evergreen, occasionally deciduous, monoecious trees, occasionally shrubs, usually with needle-like foliage, from the Northern hemisphere. Branches are opposite or whorled, elongated, or sometimes spurred. The leaves are linear, often needle-shaped. Male cones are small and non-woody, female cones are woody, and generally with spirally arranged scales. Each scale (usually) with two ovules borne near the base of the upper side of the scale. Usually two winged seeds produced per scale. Genera in this family include: Abies, Cathaya, Cedrus, Keteleeria, Larix, Picea, Pinus, Pseudotsuga, Pseudolarix, Tsuga

There are also many, many other species of nuts that are not used often in cultivation that you could look into. A lot are indigenous to certain cultures and areas of the world that are not used commercially. Some you could consider would include:

Areca palm Areca catechu, or commonly known as Beetle nut which is chewed by South Pacific nations as a part of social gatherings.

 

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