The Pecan (Carya illinoensis) is the most important species that belongs to the Carya genus. It is cultivated mainly for its nut, which is rich in oils and proteins, and for its good quality wood. Pecan is conventionally propagated by budding or grafting onto rootstocks obtained by open pollination. However, these techniques are not very efficient due to low propagation rates, poor survival and difficult establishment. Therefore, in vitro propagation of pecan can play a very important role in rapid multiplication of cultivars with desirable traits and production of healthy and disease-free plants in a short time. In the present review, the improvements over the years in the propagation of pecans, the refinements of protocols for obtaining high shoot multiplication and regeneration through organogenesis and/or somatic embryogenesis is discussed. Some basics of genetic transformation and its possible benefits are also discussed.

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CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.1 INTRODUCTION 4.2 VERIFICATION OF CCAM 4.3 VERIFICATION OF THE TEMPORAL DOWNSCALING MODEL 4.4 HISTORICALLY OBSERVED CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS 4.4.1 Bethlehem 4.4.2 Ceres 4.4.3 Upington 4.5 FUTURE TEMPERATURE TRENDS 4.5.1 Bethlehem 4.5.2 Ceres 4.5.3 Upington 4.6 FUTURE CHILL UNIT TRENDS

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Cactus pears are nutritious, drought-tolerant plants that flourish in hot and arid regions. All its plant parts can be consumed by humans and animals. Fruit seed oil production is an important emerging industry in South Africa. As part of an initiative to promote cactus pears as multi-functional crops, dual-purpose cultivars should be identified, and their production increased. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of nitrogen (N) fertilizer on the seed oil yield and quality of Opuntia ficus-indica. The project encompassed a trial using N fertilization from three N sources (limestone ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, urea) and four N application levels (0, 60, 120, 240 kg ha−1). Oil was quantitatively extracted from the seed using the Folch method; fatty acids were quantified using a Varian 430-GC. Seed oil content significantly increased (p = 0.035) with increased N fertilization rates; the oil yield ranged between 7.96 and 9.54%. The composition of the main fatty acids (oleic, palmitic, cis-vaccenic and stearic acid) was significantly influenced; oleic and stearic acid were significantly increased by higher fertilization levels whereas a reducing trend was observed in palmitic and cis-vaccenic acid levels. The highest content fatty acid, linoleic acid, was not significantly influenced.