If you were to say that Dr. Leo Lombardini was a nutty professor, then you would be partially right, although he probably wouldn’t be offended. If you really wanted folks to know the whole picture then you would have to say that Leo is Assistant Professor of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University in College Station Texas, and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the area of Fruit and Nut production.
He is also very active in research and development of both basic and applied research that is focused on the needs of the pecan industry. You would also have to say that he is one of the best friends that pecan producers could have in terms of making their product better. Unfortunately, Dr. Lombardini is one of a very few individuals who are currently doing research on issues that will directly benefit the pecan industry.
But at least things are looking up in that area. “Before I got here there were a number of extension horticulturalists and others on staff who were all working on pecan related research, but by the time I came here to A&M five years ago, everybody had retired. I could still count on the guidance of people like Dr. Storey and Dr. McEachern, but I was practically the lone tree, so to speak; now I see a number of little seedlings coming up.” Leo went on to say; “These days I have some new colleagues around the country, Dr. Heerema in New Mexico, Dr. Wells in Georgia that I can confer with on research. And we have done some small projects together.”
By the very nature of being somewhat exclusive research, Leo’s work must cover a wide gambit of different areas. His personal preference might well be to explore photosynthetic energy conversion in various pecan cultivars to determine which might be best suited for a particular application or perhaps even geographic region. However, there is a need to know about pecans and nutrition, pecans and storage, pecans and water consumption, even the level of pecan knowledge in consumers and growers. Someone has got to do this kind of research.
“I recently did an informal survey in the form of a questionnaire among a group of people who should know a little something about pecans and horticulture,” Leo said. “In fact I am in the middle of tabulating those results right now. It’s very interesting to see the knowledge, or lack of it, among people who should know something about pecans.”
The Texas Pecan Board is currently sponsoring some of Dr. Lombardini’s research on compounds contained in the pecan nut. Particular uses for these compounds may exist already, some may have yet to be discovered, but until those particular compounds are isolated, no one will know exactly what is contained in the pecan meat or shell that might be of significant value.
“Right now we are working on the kernel to determine exactly what it contains in terms of things like tannins and polyphenolic compounds that can be derived and used for specific purposes, and which cultivars might have more of it than others. For example, a Kanza appears to have more polyphenolic compounds than a Desirable. We have already determined that there is a significant variation in these compounds from one cultivar to another.”
Polyphenolic compounds hold huge potential in a number of different fields. Research is being done in laboratories around the country right now on uses for these compounds for everything from insulin enhancing treatments for diabetics, to their antioxidative traits and possible anti-carcinogenic activities to disease prevention. Past research has already proven the connection between eating pecans and the reversal of the effects of type 2 diabetes in women.
“This process takes time,” Leo said. “We need some pretty sophisticated equipment to determine what compounds are contained in the kernel.” One of Dr. Lombardini’s PhD. Students is has been working on tannin extractions in Cheyenne
and Desirable kernels, and Cape Fear, Kiowa, as well as Choctaw are also under examination. “We want to compare more cultivars because our preliminary research shows that there is a difference.” He went on to say, “We are still at a stage where we are refining the extraction techniques.”
But it is not just the kernel that the good doctor is interested in. The shell also contains some of the same compounds that are being researched. “The shell has maybe two to three times as much tannin as is contained in the kernel.” Tannins are part of a plant’s natural defenses to insects, so a more environmentally friendly insecticide could come from what is currently a waste product. “Other than using the shells for mulch, I don’t really know of anyone using them for any specific purpose,” Leo said.
Some nut byproducts are being used currently, for example crushed walnut shells are used for a sandblasting agent, but extracting the tannins and polyphenolic compounds from pecan shells would elevate them to a whole new order of significance. Particularly if these compounds prove to be as important as early research indicates that they might be. That would be akin to finding gold growing on pecan trees next to the nuts—a whole new dimension to the pecan industry.
But of course, none of this will just happen by itself. Research is the key to unlocking the hidden potential of pecans. And Leo and his research assistants can’t even begin to work on the shell until they have completed their work on the kernel. It all takes time and money. “There are a lot of things that I could be working on, but sometimes you have to work were funding is available. Right now I am working on getting another grant to get more funding to do more research.”
“I appreciate the help we have received from the Texas Pecan Board and Texas Pecan Growers Association in funding some of our current research,” said Leo. “With out that kind of help we could never get anywhere in terms of finding new and better ways to use the pecan.” Because of dedicated researchers like Dr. Leo Lombardini, the future of the pecan industry continues to grow brighter.
“I hope that we can find answers to other questions as well, such as how to even out the crop size between on years and off years. That is what producers and shellers tell me is one of the biggest problems we face right now. If we could even out the supply from year to year so that it was more predictable, then that would mean better prices for growers, according to our research.” And if you can do that, Dr. Lombardini, you would be worth your weight in gold.