Recognition of the complication of early laughter and cracking of pistachios Complications pistachio shell of early laughter and cracking are other physiological problems of pistachio fruits and usually the green skin on the surface does not crack before the fruit matures and before harvest. Occasionally, the superficial green crust ruptures along the hard bony crust, called early laughter (Pearson et al., 1994). Rupture of the superficial skin in areas other than the bony skin is called cracking (Doster et al., 1999). 1.5% of fruits are smiling at early harvest (Crane and Iwakiri, 1987) and less than 5% of fruits are cracked. Pistachios with cracked or easily smiling skin are of lower quality than normal pistachios with normal skin and are often moldy and infested with damage. Basic and scion genetics, climatic conditions, nutrient imbalances, irrigation and improper harvesting are the reasons for early laughter and cracking.
