WALNUTS
Presented by
WALNUTS
This production summary provides an overview of walnut growing, harvesting, and post harvesting practices. There
are some common practices that many large commercial growers use when producing walnuts, and though there are
variations in these practices, having an understanding of the most common methods used will be helpful when carrying
out regulatory activities.
By the end of this summary, you will be able to:
1. List several varieties of commercially produced walnuts.
2. List the world’s top walnut producing regions.
3. Identify the most common farming practices used in the production of walnuts.
Most commercially cultivated types of As with other tree nuts, most California walnuts are
INTRODUCTION
walnuts found in the U.S. are English produced in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valley regions;
walnuts. There are many cultivars or however, some are also grown in the coastal valley regions
varieties of English walnuts that are and Sierra foothills. California has approximately 4,900
commercially grown including Chandler, walnut growers that produce nearly 500,000 tons of walnuts
Hartley, Howard, Tulare, Serr, and Vina varieties. Each each year!
variety has its own unique characteristics and growers
select which variety is best for their market. Less commonly
cultivated walnut types include the Black Walnut and the
California Black Walnut.
China is the largest producer of walnuts in the world,
producing nearly half of the global walnut supply. The
United States is the second largest producer of walnuts,
accounting for approximately one third of the total world
production. Domestically, California is the nation’s number
one walnut producer, accounting for nearly all walnuts
produced in the U.S. (Fig 1).
When preparing to plant a new orchard,
GROWING
growers cultivate the soil to loosen clods
and grade the orchard. It is common
practice to use an attachment to dig deep
down and break up any hardpan below
the soil surface to help newly planted trees establish a
deep root system. Walnut trees need at least five feet of
permeable soil.
Specialized equipment is used to form raised beds or
individual mounds on which trees will be planted. Irrigation
Fig 1 - Top Walnut Producing State in the US lines are installed. Walnut trees start as grafted transplants.
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These grafts are usually an English walnut variety that has employ many techniques to protect their orchards from
been started on a different root stock system such as a weeds, disease, and pests. Orchards are tended all year round
California black walnut, which is hardier and more resistant to ensure the health of the trees. Weeds are removed, trees
to pest infestations. Root stock systems are usually selected are pruned and sprayed to help manage pests and disease
based on the specific local conditions of the orchard. that can damage trees and effect crops. Young trees may also
be susceptible to damage by rodents, so growers may install
shields or paint to help protect the growing trees.
Walnuts are harvested starting around
HARVESTING
mid-September. The harvest season usually
continues through November. Walnuts
are ready to harvest when the green hulls
begin to split and nuts naturally drop from
the trees. A mechanical shaker is brought in to vigorously
shake each tree, dropping thousands of walnuts to the
ground. Walnut harvesting crews then employ a specialized
“sweeper” that collects the downed nuts into windrows. A
harvester picks the walnuts from the ground and transfers
them into a waiting trailer.
From the orchard, the walnuts are
Once planted, it takes five to seven years for a walnut PACKING delivered to an operation. Here the outer
tree to begin producing nuts that can be harvested. The green husk is removed with wet
average life span of a walnut orchard in California is about scrubbers. The in-shell nuts are
35 years. Blossoms emerge in early spring. Walnut trees transferred to a dryer for up to 24 hours
can be efficiently pollinated by wind, unlike other nut and where most of the moisture is removed. This drying step
fruit trees that require honey bee pollination. The nuts helps to prevent deterioration of the nut and protects its
will grow and develop for approximately four months quality during storage.
through the summer.
Older orchards in California may be irrigated using flood
irrigation. Most of the new orchards, however, use drip
or sprinkler irrigation systems. These systems allow for
greater conservation of water and better control of run-off.
The frequency of water application during the growing
season depends on the age of the orchard, the levels of
precipitation in the region, and other weather conditions.
Growers gauge the need for various fertilizers through
soil and leaf analysis throughout the year. The age of the
orchard may also help determine what fertilizers are needed
for the growing trees. Fertilizers are typically applied to
the root zone when the tree is able to use it efficiently.
Fertilization of trees may be done in the winter while the
trees lay dormant or in the late spring after the foliage of the Depending on market demand, walnuts may need to be
tree has developed and the fruit is beginning to grow. stored before they are processed and packaged. This can be
done once the walnuts are clean and dry. Walnuts can be
Common elements applied to walnut orchards include stacked in large plastic bins or stored in environmentally
nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in amounts that are controlled silos. The product is kept in dark storage and
determined by element availability in the soil. Growers held at 41°F.
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After drying, walnuts destined for sell as in-shell nuts are Walnut kernels are then screened using electronic color
then sized according to USDA standards and prepped to graders and sorters. As a final step before packaging, walnut
be packaged for market. To prepare shelled walnuts, the kernels are hand-sorted according to USDA size, grade, and
kernels are mechanically removed from shells. Air is used to color standards. This ensures production of a clean, well-
separate kernels from the broken shells. dried product that meets specific size and color standards.
Having a basic understanding of the way walnuts are grown, harvested, sorted, dried, and packed
will provide the basic background information that will be helpful to regulators when completing
CONCLUSION inspections or investigations in the field.
The agricultural practices described in this production summary are common on most large commercial farms
like those found in major walnut producing regions in the United States. There are undoubtedly variations in
these practices depending on the region, operation size, and individual grower preferences. This is especially
true of farms outside of the U.S.
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REFERENCES
Boriss, Hayley, Henrich Burnke, and Marcia Kreith. “English Walnuts.” English Walnuts. N.p., July 2015. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
California Walnuts: Sizes & Colors. 1997. N.p.: USDA, n.d. N. pag. Web.
“California Walnuts for More than a Century.” California Walnut Company. California Walnut Company, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
“CDFA Walnut Fertilization Guidelines.” Walnut. CA.gov, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
Geisseler, Daniel, and William R. Horwath. “Walnut Production in California.” (2014): n. pag. FREP, Mar.-Apr. 2014. Web.
“HOME.” - Fruit & Nut Research and Information Center. University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources,
n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
Regia, Juglans. “United States Standards for Grades of Shelled Walnuts.” Agricultural Marketing Service. USDA, n.d. Web. 01 Feb.
2016.
Smith, Andrew. “Historical Virtues of the Walnut.” Historical Virtues of the Walnut, n.d.: n. pag. Web.
Starrs, Paul F., and Peter Goin. Field Guide to California Agriculture. Berkeley: U of California, 2010. 148-54, 208-210, 216-219.
Print.
“Walnut (English/Persian: Juglans Regia; Black: Juglans Hindsii).” - The California Backyard Orchard. Division of Agriculture and
Natural Resources, University of California, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. “California Agricultural Statistics, Crop Year 2012.” USDA, n.d. 38, 65. Web.
“Walnut.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
“Welcome to California Walnuts!” California Walnuts. California Walnuts, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
Funding for this presentation was made possible, in part, by the Food and Drug Administration through Cooperative Agreement 1U54FD004327. Views expressed in this
presentation do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices, or
organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.
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