PERFORMANCE OF ‘NEGRET’ HAZELNUT CULTIVAR GRAFTED ON 4 ROOTSTOCKS IN CATALONIA (SPAIN)

The ‘Negret’ cultivar is the most widely grown in Tarragona’s hazelnut orchards.
In this area, trees tend to develop low vigor, iron chlorosis and high sucker emission.
IRTA’s hazelnut rootstock selection started in the early 1990s in Catalonia (NE of Spain), in order to improve these agronomic problems. ‘Negret-N•9’ grafted onto four clonal rootstocks (‘Dundee’, ‘Newberg’, ‘Tonda Bianca’ and ‘IRTA-MB•69’ selection) was compared to an own-rooted ‘Negret IRTA-N•9’ clone.
This trial was planted in 2000, trained to a vase and it was spaced 6 × 3.5 m (476 trees/ha) with drip irrigation.
The statistical design was a randomized complete block with ten replications and one tree per replication and treatment.
Preliminary results showed that some rootstocks have a strong influence on ‘N•9’ scion vigor and yield during the first five years (period 2003-2007) after grafting. ‘Dundee’ and ‘MB•69’ rootstocks showed the best vegetative growth and yield performance, and the lowest sucker emission of the ‘Negret-N•9’ scion.
In contrast, the own-rooted ‘Negret-N•9’ (control) showed the highest sucker emission, and the poorest growth and yield but it offered the best kernel quality (high weight and big kernel size, higher oleic acid content in oil).

VII International Congress on Hazelnut

J. Tous, A. Romero, M. Rovira, J.FCO. Hermoso

clonal rootstocks, vigour, yield, suckers emission, kernel quality, ‘Negret’

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2009.845.8