Performance of introduced hazelnut cultivars in Georgia

The estimated area of hazelnut orchards in Georgia is about 82,000 ha. (Geostat.ge, 2020). This investigation attempted to identify local (endemic) forms of hazelnut and evaluate introduced cultivars for their agricultural, biological and technological characteristics.
The experimental orchard is located in the Imereti region in western Georgia.
Together with Georgian cultivars, we investigated cultivars imported from Oregon State University in 2000: ‘Barcelona’, ‘Butler’, ‘Casina’, ‘Clark’, ‘Ennis’, ‘Lewis’, ‘Montebello’, ‘Mortarella’, ‘Negret’, ‘Pauetet’, ‘San Giovanni’, ‘Segorbe’, ‘Tonda Gentile delle Langhe’, ‘Tonda Romana’, ‘Tonda di Giffoni’ and ‘Willamette’. Based on analysis over multiple years of soil and climatic conditions and observations of hazelnut development, several introduced cultivars were identified as highly productive, with high-quality fruit, and resistance to fungal diseases and stress factors: ‘Willamette’, ‘Tonda di Giffoni’ and ‘Tonda Romana’. We recommend these cultivars for cultivation in industrial hazelnut orchards at 250-450 m elevation in the subtropical zone of western Georgia.

X International Congress on Hazelnut

M. Kodua, N. Mirotadze, M. Mirotadze, Kh. Akhalaia, N. Dekanoidze

Corylus avellana, orchard, cultivar, introduced hazelnut, trial

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2023.1379.13