Pistachio hull split - how does it happen and why does it change across years?

The pistachio hull is critical for protecting the kernel. Insect pests can’t get through it until it begins to break down. However, it is known that hull integrity can change across years - some years hulls stay intact until harvest, and in other years it begins to break down earlier. Shuxiao Zhang, who used to be a student at UC Davis and is now working as a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford, and Georgia Drakakaki, a professor of plant sciences at UC Davis, decided to look into this. They were able to figure out the processes that led to hull degradation, the different ways degradation occur, and they were able to link in-field conditions to hull split. The Drakakaki lab has been doing extensive research into pistachio fruit development - Phoebe has interviewed the both of them on pistachio shell split in a previous episode. Podcast transcript You can sign up for the Rice Production Workshop here . Find out more about upcoming meetings in the San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom) and the Sacramento Valley . The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

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Pistachio hull split - how does it happen and why does it change across years? is an episode from Growing the Valley by Phoebe Gordon.

This episode is 00:26:01 long.

This episode was published on Feb 25, 2026.

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