Dr. Richard J. Heerema Extension Plant Sciences Department New Mexico State University P.O. Box 30003, MSC 3AE Las Cruces, NM 88003 rjheerem@nmsu.edu Education Ph.D. Plant Biology. University of California, Sept. 2005. Area of Specialization: Integrated Plant/Crop Physiology Dissertation: Compartmentalization of carbon and nitrogen stresses within almond spurs Advisors: Theodore M. DeJong and Steven A. Weinbaum B.A. Biology and Agriculture: Plant Science (double major), Dordt College, Sioux Center, IA, May 1998. Horticulture Research Experience Extension Plant Specialist, New Mexico State University, Oct. 2005-Present. Currently developing a research program investigating production issues faced by New Mexico pecan growers, particularly issues surrounding alternate bearing, fertilizer usage and irrigation. Responsibilities also include relaying university research to New Mexico pecan and pistachio growers and directly assisting orchardists with production related problems. Doctoral Research, University of California, Davis, Oct. 2000-Sept. 2005 Tested the branch autonomy hypothesis as it relates to almond spur carbohydrate storage, flowering, mortality and fruit set. Assessed the possibility of improving the sensitivity of diagnosis of N deficiencies in almond by sampling leaves from fruiting spurs, rather than non-fruiting spurs as prescribed by the current University of California recommendation. Research Assistant, UC Davis, October 2000- September 2004 Assisted in planning and conducting experiments, mostly investigating mineral nutrition or water relations questions in various fruit and nut tree species, including almond, peach, walnut and pistachio. Selected and described pistachio seedlings with superior nut traits for the University of California pistachio breeding project. Research Assistant, Dry Creek Laboratories, Hughson, CA, 1998-2000.
Introduced new fruit and nut cultivars and rootstocks, including UCB-1 pistachio rootstock, to tissue culture. Performed Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of apple. Presented posters to public at annual nursery visitor s day. Peer-Reviewed Publications T.M. Spann and R.J. Heerema, 2010. A simple method for nondestructive estimation of whole shoot leaf area in tree fruit crops. Scientia Horticulturae, 125(3): 528-533. B.W. Wood, L.Lombardini and R.J. Heerema, 2009. Influence of aminoethoxyvinylglycine on pecan fruit retention. HortScience, 44: 1884-1889. J.M. French, R.J. Heerema, E.A. Gordon, and N.P. Goldberg, 2009. First Report of Septoria Leaf Spot of Pistachio in New Mexico. Plant Disease, 93: 762. R.J. Heerema, S.A. Weinbaum, B.D. Lampinen and T.M. DeJong, 2009. Is nitrogen stress more apparent in shaded and fruiting almond spur subpopulations than exposed, non-fruiting sub-populations? Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 84: 355-359. J.C. Kallestad, J.G. Mexal, T.W. Sammis and R.J. Heerema, 2008. Development of a simple irrigation scheduling calendar for Mesilla Valley pecan growers. HortTechnology, 18(4): 714-725. R.J. Heerema, S.A. Weinbaum, F. Pernice and T.M. DeJong, 2008. Spur survival and return bloom in almond [Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb] varied with spur fruit load, specific leaf weight, and leaf area. Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 83(2): 274-281. Reidel, E.J., Brown, P.H., Duncan, R.A., Heerema, R.J. and Weinbaum, S.A. (2004). Sensitivity of yield determinants to potassium deficiency in Nonpareil almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb). Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 79 (6), 906-910. Polito, V.S., Pinney, K., Heerema, R. and Weinbaum, S.A. (2002). Flower differentiation and spur leaf area in almond. Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 77 (4), 474-478. Publications Extension Guides, Circulars, and Bulletins
R. Heerema, 2011. Irrigation scheduling of pecan orchards: Soil moisture monitoring, NMSU Guide H-640 (submitted Nov, 2010; in press as of April 1, 2011). J. M. Lillywhite, R. Heerema, J.E. Simonsen, and E. Herrera, 2010. Pecan Marketing Channels in New Mexico, NMSU Extension Guide Z-307. R. Heerema, N. Goldberg and S. Thomas, 2010. Diseases and other disorders of pecan in New Mexico, NMSU Extension Guide H-657. R. Heerema and J. White, 2008. Transplanting mature pecan trees in New Mexico, NMSU Extension Guide H-655. R. Heerema, J. Mexal and T. Sammis, 2008. Irrigation scheduling of pecan orchards: The water budget approach, NMSU Water Task Force Report 8. J. Lillywhite, R. Heerema, J. White and J. Simonsen, 2008. Marketing structure options for NM pecan growers, NMSU Extension Guide Z-308. R. Heerema, J. Libbin and J. White, 2007. Producing and Marketing Organic Pecans in New Mexico, NMSU Extension Circular 632. R. Heerema, W. Eastman and B. Jacobs, 2007. Pecans: A healthful New Mexico grown food, NMSU Extension Guide E-138. Publications Industry Conference Proceedings S.T. Smallidge, R. Heerema, and J.M. Fowler, 2011. Wildlife damage management to improve pecan orchard profits in the western US. Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 45: 21. R.J. Heerema and R. Flynn, 2011. Evaluation of soil applied EDDHA-chelated iron fertilizer for use in correcting iron deficiency symptoms in mature pecan trees in the Pecos Basin, New Mexico. Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 45: 24-25. M. Thompson (graduate student), R. Heerema, J. Schroeder, J. Ashigh, D. Van Leeuwen, and C. Fiore, 2011. Master s Research: What is the effect of orchard floor vegetation on mature pecan tree water & nitrogen status? Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 45: 28-30. P. Teveni (graduate student), R. Heerema and J. Mexal, 2010. The effect of deficit irrigation on yield, quality and return bloom during three different
growth stages in pecan. Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 44: 24-25. J. Ashigh, R. Heerema, M. Mohseni and J. Schroeder, 2010. Confirmation and management of glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth in New Mexico. Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 44: 17-19. R. Heerema, 2009. Diagnosing and correcting common micronutrient disorders in pecan orchards. Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 43: 39-41. R. Heerema, 2009. Costs of growing pecans in the west. Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 43: 30-31. B. W. Wood and R. Heerema, 2009. ReTain can increase early season fruit retention by pecan. Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 43: 29. R. Heerema, 2008. Freeze/cold damage in pecans, Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 42: 19. R. Heerema, 2007. Nitrogen fertilizers. Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 41: 13. D. Whitelock, C. Armijo, M. Buser, Ed Hughs and R. Heerema, 2007. A dust abatement device for harvest. Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 41: 19-22. J.Mexal, J. Kallestad, T. Sammis, J. Downs, R. Heerema and J. White, 2007. The Pecanigator. Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 41: 23. R. Heerema, 2006. Alternate bearing research: implications for western pecans. Western Pecan Growers Association Conference Proceedings, 40: 7. Publications Popular and Trade Magazines Pecan Orchard Tasks column in The Pacific Nut Producer Magazine (a popular trade magazine dedicated to issues of nut producers across the western US); 3 columns in 2011 (as of April 1) plus 10 columns each year 2006-2010 (total 53 columns). The Western Front column in Pecan South magazine (a popular trade magazine published by the Texas Pecan Growers Association that covers the nationwide pecan industry).
- R. Heerema, 2011. Managing crowding of orchards in the West. Pecan South, 43(11): 10-11. - R. Heerema, 2010. Irrigation scheduling using soil moisture monitoring. Pecan South, 43(5): 12-13. The New Mexico section in The Pecan Grower magazine (a popular trade magazine published by the Georgia Pecan Growers Association and distributed across the US pecan production belt). - R. Heerema, 2010. New Mexico update. Pecan Grower Magazine, XXII(1): 54-55. - R. Heerema, 2009. New Mexico update for the 2009 season. The Pecan Grower, Vol. XXI(2): 48. - R. Heerema, 2009. Happy 2009 from the Land of Enchantment! The Pecan Grower, Vol. XX(3): 44. - R. Heerema, 2008. Minimizing freeze damage risk in pecan orchards. The Pecan Grower, Vol. XX(2): 46-48. - R. Heerema, 2008. Windy, windy spring in New Mexico. The Pecan Grower, Vol. XX(1): 68. - R. Heerema, 2008. Late harvest, big crop in New Mexico. The Pecan Grower, Vol. XIX(3): 36. - R. Heerema, 2007. New Mexico pecans are off to a good start, The Pecan Grower, Vol. XIX (1):64-65. - R. Heerema, 2007. Greetings from New Mexico, The Pecan Grower, Vol. XIX (2), p. 47. Recent Presentations Oral or Poster Presentations at Industry Conferences Trends in the pecan industry, New Mexico Crop Production Association, Ruidoso, NM, January 25, 2011. 45 th Annual Western Pecan Growers Association Conference, Las Cruces, NM, March 7, 2011. Two presentations: - What is the effect of orchard floor vegetation on tree water & nitrogen status? (presented by graduate student, Marisa Thompson). - Soil applied Fe-EDDHA fertilizer. Fertilizer programs utilized by New Mexico pecan growers, Arizona Pecan Growers Association Annual Meeting, Tucson, AZ, September 24, 2010.
Regulated deficit irrigation during three development stages of pecan (presented by graduate student Pablo Teveni), Texas Pecan Growers Association Conference, San Marcos, TX, Jul 13, 2010. Overview of New Mexico pecan production, Hispanic Farmers and Rancher of America Southwest Regional Small Farmers and Ranchers Risk Management Conference, Las Cruces, NM, July 9, 2010. Pecan management in the irrigated West, Georgia Pecan Growers Association Annual Meeting, Perry, GA, May 6, 2010. 44 th Annual Western Pecan Growers Association Conference, Las Cruces, NM, March 8, 2010. Two presentations: - The effect of deficit irrigation on yield, quality, and return bloom during three different growth stages in pecan (presented by graduate student, Pablo Teveni). - Confirmation and management of glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth in New Mexico (presented by R. Heerema with significant input from Dr. J. Ashigh). Mechanical pruning of mature pecan trees in New Mexico: Methods and results, annual meeting of the Arizona Pecan Growers Association, Tucson, AZ, Sept. 18, 2009. 43 rd Annual Western Pecan Growers Association Conference, Las Cruces, NM, March 2, 2009. Two presentations: - Diagnosing and correcting micronutrient disorders. - Costs of growing pecans in the West in 2008. Costs of growing pecans in the West, National Pecan Shellers Association Conference, San Francisco, CA, September 19, 2008. Are pecans the right crop for me to plant? Cultural and pest management comparisons, California Pecan Growers Association Conference, Chico, CA August 4, 2008. Freeze damage, 42nd Annual Western Pecan Growers Association Conference, Las Cruces, NM, March 3, 2008. Recent Presentations Before Professional Societies Posters R.J. Heerema and R. Flynn. Evaluation of soil-applied EDDHA iron fertilizer for use in correcting iron deficiency symptoms in mature pecan trees in the Pecos
basin, New Mexico, Western Nutrient Management Conference, Reno, NV, March 3-4, 2011. R.J. Heerema and M.Y. Thompson (graduate student presenter). The effect of foliar kaolin particle film (Surround WP) on establishment rates of southwestern pecan orchards, International Horticultural Congress, Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 24, 2010. M.Y. Thompson (graduate student presenter), J. Schroeder, J. Ashigh, D. VanLeeuwen,, C.D. Fiore, and R.J. Heerema. Do orchard floor weeds affect water status of mature pecan trees? (poster & 3-minute oral presentation), International Horticultural Congress, Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 23 & 24, 2010. T. M. Spann and R.J. Heerema (co-presenters). A Simple Method for Nondestructive Estimation of Whole Shoot Leaf Area, American Society for Horticultural Science annual conference, Orlando, FL, July 21-24, 2008. Recent Presentations Before Professional Societies Oral Presentations Response of pecan yield, quality, and return bloom to water stress during three fruit development stages (presented by graduate student Pablo Teveni), American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Palm Desert, CA, Aug. 5, 2010. Rio Grande Basin Initiative: Development of a regulated deficit irrigation strategy for pecans in the Southwest, Land Grant and Sea Grant National Water Conference, Hilton Head, SC, Feb. 21-25, 2010. Regulated deficit irrigation for pecan orchards in the West, National Pecan Research and Extension Scientists Meeting, Ardmore, OK, May 29, 2009. Recetn Presentations Presentations at Grower Field Days and Workshops Pecan orchard management and pest control, Pesticide Applicators Workshop, Hobbs, NM, January 27, 2011. Two presentations: - Certification training seminar. - Continuing education units seminar. Pecan orchard management and pest control, Pesticide Applicators Workshop, Las Cruces, NM, Dec. 2, 2010. Two presentations: - Continuing education units seminar. - Certification training seminar. Impacts of extreme temperatures on pecan production, New Mexico Pecan Growers Field Day, Las Cruces, NM, Nov. 4, 2010.
Western Pecan Production Short Course, Las Cruces, NM, Sept. 8-9, 2010. Four presentations: - Pruning mature pecan trees (Sept. 9, 2010). - Mineral nutrition and fertilizers for pecan orchards (Sept. 8, 2010). - Pecan rootstocks (Sept. 8, 2010). - Pecan tree botany & industry overview (Sept. 8, 2010). New Mexico pecans: a new crop for the middle Rio Grande?, NMSU Los Lunas Agricultural Science Center, Los Lunas, NM, July 28, 2010. Grafting and budding pecan and fruit trees, Quay County Pecan Workshop, Tucumcari, NM, June 1, 2010. The effects of improper irrigation, Otero County Pecan Growers Workshop, Alamogordo, NM, April 1, 2010. Orchard floor management, New Mexico Pecan Growers Association Field Day, Las Cruces, NM, Nov. 4, 2009. Lea County Pecan Field Day, Hobbs, NM, Aug. 19, 2009. Two presentations: - Pecan orchard pruning. - Mineral nutrition. Fruit and pecan tree budding and grafting methods, Budding and Grafting Workshop, El Paso, TX, Aug. 5, 2009. Diagnosing and correcting micronutrient disorders, Southeastern New Mexico Pecan Field Day, Artesia, NM, May 12, 2009. So you want to grow pecans? Southeastern New Mexico Pecan Field Day, Artesia, NM, May 12, 2009. New Mexico pecan production, Pecan Production Workshop for Small Growers, Roswell, NM, May 11, 2009. Otero County Pecan Field Day, Alamogordo, NM, April 2, 2009. Two presentations: - Irrigation in pecan orchards. - Minerals and nutrients for pecan trees. Pecan and Pistachio Production in New Mexico, Socorro County Pecan Seminar, Socorro, NM, March 30, 2009. IPM for pecan orchards and other nut crops, Western SARE Workshop in Sustainable Agriculture: integrated Pest Management for New Mexico, Las Cruces, NM, December 9, 2008.
Integrated pest management in pecan and pistachio orchards, Luna County Private Applicators Workshop, Deming, NM, December 1, 2008. Zinc, New Mexico Pecan Growers Association Field Day, Las Cruces, NM, October 29, 2008. Pecan pricing: How do buyers calculate what you get paid for your pecans?, Licensed Private Applicators Workshop, Rincon, NM, October 9, 2008. New Mexico pecan production, Chaves County Pecan Seminar, Roswell, NM, June 23, 2008. Diagnosing common pecan nutrient disorders, New Mexico Pecan Growers Association Field Day, Las Cruces, NM, November 8, 2007. Tucumcari Pecan Production Seminar, Tucumcari, NM, October 4, 2007. - Fertilizer requirements for pecans. - Water management for pecans. - Pruning and pruning practices (field demonstration). Other Presentations and Posters New Mexico Rio Grande Basin Initiative On-Farm Irrigation System Management (including projects under the direction of B. Leinauer, M. Encinias, M. Uchanski and R. Heerema), Joint Rio Grande Basin Initiative Annual Conference, Alpine, TX, May 19, 2010. Pecan industry updates presented at Hispanic Farmers and Ranchers of America business meetings, Las Cruces, NM, January 8, 2009. Pecan Orchard Management, Multiple Peril Crop Insurance Pecan School, Las Cruces, NM, August 8, 2008 (presented with John White, retired Dona Ana County Extension Ag. Agent). Extramural Funding S. Upadhyaya (lead P.I.: UC-Davis), et al., 2010. Precision Canopy and Water Management of Specialty Crops through Sensor-Based Decision Making. The NMSU portion of the project funded by NIFA- Specialty Crops Research Initiative at the level of $156,875 total (over 3 years, with R. Heerema as P.I.). (project start October, 2010) R. Heerema (PI), N. Goldberg, C. Sutherland and J. French, 2009. Extension IPM for New Mexico Pistachios, CSREES Extension IPM Coordination and
Support Program. Funded at the level of $8,636 for one year (part of a larger IPM grant led by Dr. T. Grasswitz). R. Heerema (P.I.), J. Mexal, D. VanLeeuwen and P. Teveni, 2008. Seasonal timing of regulated deficit irrigation in pecans. Rio Grande Basin Initiative. Funded at the level of $22,570 per year for 2 years. R. Heerema (P.I.), J. Schroeder, J. Ashigh and B. Wood, 2008. Pecan Orchard Floor Management Practices and Their Effects on Irrigation Water Use Efficiency and Nitrogen Use Efficiency. Funded by the ARS-NMSU Cooperative Agreement for Pecan Research at the level of $54,000 for 2009 and $50,000 for 2010. J. Mexal and R. Heerema (P.I.), 2007. Regulated deficit irrigation for Rio Grande Basin Pecan Growers. Funded by the ARS-NMSU Cooperative Agreement for Pecan Research at the level of $54,560 for 2008, with funding renewed for 2009. J. Garner (P.I.; Univ. AR Pine Bluff, et al, 2006. In vitro propagation of elite pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] cultivars. The NMSU portion of project funded by a CSREES research grant at the level of $25,000 per year for three years. Membership in Professional Societies American Society for Horticultural Science International Society for Horticultural Science American Pomological Society Western Pecan Growers Association (honorary board member) U.C. Davis Pomology Graduate Student Association (President, 2001-2002 Academic Year)