Nut Trees - NOFA-NJ

Nut Trees: Hazelnuts and Other
Nuts for the Northeast
Thomas J. Molnar, Ph.D.
Plant Biology and Pathology Dept.
Rutgers University
NOFA-NJ Winter Meeting
Saturday January 28, 2011
Nut Tree Breeding at Rutgers
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Premise: Nut trees have the
potential to sustainably produce
high-quality, highly nutritious food
on land not suitable for the
production of cultivated annuals
z Based on the tremendous
success of the Rutgers turfgrass
breeding program, Dr. Reed Funk
strongly believed similar work
could be done with nut trees
z Dr. Funk started a program to
explore this in 1996 when he
turned the turf breeding program
over to William Meyer
Reed Funk and Tom Molnar
Nut Tree Breeding at Rutgers
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Nut trees have undergone
almost no systematic breeding
with most cultivars being
selections from the wild – huge
genetic potential for rapid
improvement
z Title of the new program:
Underutilized Perennial Food
Crops Genetic Improvement
Program
z Tree Crops = Sustainable
Agriculture
– Hold great potential for organic
systems
Nut Tree Breeding at Rutgers
z
Species of interest included
black and Persian walnuts,
pecans, heartnuts, hickories,
chestnuts, almonds, hazelnuts,
and more…
z We built a collection of over
35,000 trees planted across 5
Rutgers research farms
Pecan shade trial
Adelphia 2000
Pecan shade trial
Adelphia 2008
Nut Tree Breeding at Rutgers
z
Overriding Objective
– Identify the species that show
the greatest potential for rapid
improvement
– Create a breeding program to
develop new cultivars that
reliably produce high-quality,
high-value crops for NJ and the
eastern U.S.
• while requiring much
reduced inputs of pesticides,
fungicides, management,
etc.
Nut Tree Breeding at Rutgers
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While most species showed great
promise for improvement, we had
to narrow our focus to be most
effective
Hazelnuts
Black walnuts
Heartnuts
Black Walnuts
Juglans nigra
Native to North America
Source: Fowells 1965Fowells, H.A. 1965.
Silvics of forest trees of the United States. USDA
Agriculture Handb. 71. p. 203.
Black Walnuts
premier timber tree
Thick shelled, low kernel percent (10-15%)
typical wild black walnut
Thin shelled 35% kernel
‘Emma k’
Over 400 black walnut cultivars have been named.
Note these are grafted trees, like apples, not seedlings.
Black Walnut Cultivars
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Growing Black Walnut For Nut Production – Univ. of Missouri Center for
Agroforestry. Reid et al., 2009
http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/agguides/agroforestry/af1011.pdf
Cultivar
'Bowser'
'Clermont'
'Cranz'
'Emma K'
'Football 11'
'Kwik-Krop'
'Ohio'
'Sauber'
'Sparks 127'
'Sparrow'
State of
origin
Percent
kernel
No.
nuts/kg
Notable genetic traits
Ohio
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Illinois
Missouri
Kansas
Ohio
Ohio
Iowa
Illinois
30.7
35.5
31.4
35.3
30.0
31.5
26.7
34.1
31.5
28.7
65.6
59.0
71.9
62.0
43.1
58.1
64.7
65.6
64.0
58.3
High kernel quality
Productive
Lateral bearing
Thin shell
Lateral bearing
Precocious, productive
Anthracnose resistance
Thin shell, high kernel quality
Lateral bearing
Productive
Black walnuts for the northeast?
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Well adapted and productive, however:
– Public less familiar with this nut than in the
past
• Marketing and value-added products
– Very thick shell requires heavy-duty cracker or
hammer
• Most people might not want to do this
– A lot of work to husk, crack, and process nuts
• hand sort kernel from shell on a small scale
• Automated equipment very expensive
Commercial black walnut orchard – Iowa (trees 30’ x 30’)
Growers sell nuts to Hammonds Product Company in
Stockton, Missouri, the only commercial black walnut
processor in the US
Black Walnut at Rutgers
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In New Jersey walnut anthracnose (Gnomonia
lyptostyla)
lyptostyla is a major problem of black walnut that
causes early defoliation and poor nut fill
Available improved cultivars were primarily selected
for nut characteristics, not tree health or productivity
We initiated project to attempt to efficiently identify
highly disease resistant and best adapted genotypes:
– planted large and diverse seedling population from
open pollinated seeds of improved cultivars from
many locations in 2002- 2004 (over 7,000
seedlings)
Seedlings planted very close (1-2 feet in rows)
Black Walnut – Juglans nigra
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Goal was to use successive culling to reduce
population to superior genotypes as rapidly as
possible
Selection criteria included (in order of importance):
– Resistance to anthracnose
– Growth habit (apical dominance, no die-back,
strong branching, response to deer browse)
– Late leafing in spring (earliest vegetating genotypes
removed)
– Precocity
– Spur-bearing of flowers/fruits
Direct Seeded Black Walnuts – year 1
Direct Seeded Black Walnuts – year 2
culling begins late summer for anthracnose
susceptibility and lack of apical dominance (die-back)
Black Walnuts –year 4 (Spring)
Nearly 75% of population culled by
fall of year 4 for anthracnose
response, growth habit, early leafing
Identified 15 seedlings that
produced nuts at 4 years!
Black Walnuts – year 6 (fall)
Trees now widely spaced,
only most anthracnose resistant
and well-formed trees remain to
undergo evaluation of nut quality
and yield
Anthracnose resistant
Spur-bearing
High yield
6th year on - evaluate nut quality (kernel percentage, flavor, etc.)
Select for trees
with excellent
apical
dominance, tree
health, and vigor
July 2010
Trees 8 years old
Time to collect
and evaluate nuts
As of 2011, we have many selected
trees awaiting nut evaluations
Heartnuts (Japanese walnuts)
Juglans ailantifolia var. cordiformis
Picture by Ernie Grimo, www.grimonut.com
Heartnuts at Rutgers
Adelphia Research Farm
Clusters of pink
female flowers
1-2’ long catkins
in spring adds to
ornamental value
Attractive tropical
appearing foliage
Heartnut are very vigorous
Growers: 11 year old trees
on good site
Available Cultivars
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A number of cultivars have
been selected by amateur
breeders in New York and
Ontario that are worthy of
testing in Mid-Atlantic
region
– Campbell CW1, CW3,
CWW
– Imshu and Pyke
– Schubert
– Rhodes
Picture by Ernie Grimo
There is great variability in heartnut seedlings.
In the best selections the kernels crack cleanly from the
shell in whole of half pieces.
Pictures by Ernie Grimo
Rutgers selection now under test
Small scale harvesting and processing
Nut Wizard
Pictures by Malcolm Olson
Removing the hull and washing
Drying indoors
Nuts can be sold $4-5 dollars per pound
Unique nuts and mild flavor may interest
public, however, few people know of
heartnuts. Cracking remains an issue.
10 year old tree can produce around
20-25 lbs. of clean and dried nuts
48 trees per acre at 30’ centers
Heartnuts, originally from Japan, are adapted to
humid environment –resistant to disease in our
region
Bacterial blight on Persian walnut
Xanthomonas campestris pv. juglandis (Pierce) Dye
Walnut anthracnose (Gnomonia
lyptostyla) on Persian walnut
Pest Problems that may require control
Walnut husk fly (Rhagoletis sp.)
Walnut curculio
Conotrachelus retentus
Walnut lace bug
Corythuca juglandis
Can be a minor problem that
requires spray
Why Heartnuts?
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Highly resistant to walnut anthracnose and walnut
blight
Resistant to walnut husk fly and other insects
Fast growing and precocious – produce nuts 2nd year
after grafts
Flavor much like Persian walnuts, with no bitterness
like that found in Carpathian types
Mechanican harvesting, hulling, and drying using
existing equipment for Persian (English) walnuts
However, market needs to be developed as well as
commercial cracking equipment
Very minor crop in Rutgers program
Hazelnuts
Hazelnut – Corylus spp.
Hazelnuts at Rutgers
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Since 2000 we have focused much of
our efforts on hazelnuts based on:
– success of initial plantings made in
1996/1997
– short generation time, small plant
size (4-5 years from seed to seed)
– wide genetic diversity and the ability
to hybridize different Corylus
species
– ease of making controlled crosses
– backlog of information and breeding
advances
– existing technologies and markets
Hazelnuts – some background
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Commercial production is based on
European hazelnut species Corylus
avellana (called hazelnut or filbert)
z Hazelnuts are the 5th most
important tree nut crop in the world
(748,000 MT/yr), behind cashews,
almonds, walnuts, and chestnuts
z The U.S. produces 4% of the world
crop, behind Turkey (70%) and
Italy (18%)
z 99% of the U.S. hazelnut crop is
currently grown in the Willamette
Valley of Oregon
Current world production
regions - Corylus avellana
Hazelnuts – some background
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Low-input crop adapted to many
soil types
z Few disease and insect pests
– (besides eastern filbert blight to be
discussed later)
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High value crop that is well-known
and easily cracked and utilized
– Becoming more popular thanks to
Ferrero products and coffee
flavoring (although that is artificial)
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Nuts stores well, which is great
advantage for farm markets and
local sale
z Major crop worldwide so no need to
reinvent the wheel
z Can be grown organically
90% of the world crop is
used as kernels in candy,
baked-goods, and other
products
Hazelnuts in the
Eastern United States
z
Early colonists brought
hazelnuts to the eastern U.S.
from Europe
z A disease called Eastern
Filbert Blight killed the
European hazelnut trees
z EFB is naturally found on the
wild American hazelnut, Corylus
americana
z EFB is the primary reason no
commercial hazelnuts are grown
in the eastern U.S.
Native range of wild American
hazelnut and associated pathogen
Anisogramma anomala
Stromata
(fruiting body)
Eastern Filbert Blight
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Fungus that colonizes
under bark and disrupts
vascular system
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Perennial cankers can kill
tree in 4-7 years in
eastern U.S
Eastern Filbert Blight
Fungus - Anisogramma anomala
5-year-old C. avellana seedlings in New Jersey
Hazelnuts in the Pacific Northwest –
very successful, until…
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Hazelnuts were first brought to
the Pacific Northwest in the late
1800s by nurseryman Felix
Gillet
z European cultivars were well
adapted to the climate of the
coastal valleys of Oregon and
Washington and no eastern
filbert blight
z Hazelnut industry thrived for
nearly 100 years, however-Felix Gillet (1835-1908)
Picture from 1937 USDA
Yearbook of Agriculture
…Eastern Filbert Blight makes it
out to Washington State
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Despite of quarantine efforts,
EFB was found in southwest
Washington in the 1960s
z Orchards contained highly
susceptible cultivars leading
to major EFB epidemics and
orchard loss in Washington
and Oregon
z Fortunately, prevailing
weather patterns slowed the
spread southward; however,
EFB can now be found
throughout the Willamette
Valley of Oregon
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/botany/
epp/EFB/location/map1.htm
Finally, Eastern Filbert Blight
Research
z
Research at Oregon State Univ.
was initiated soon after EFB
was discovered in Washington
z This resulted in much greater
understanding of the biology,
lifecycle, and control of EFB
z Searching for resistance to EFB
began at Oregon State Univ. in
the 1970s
z From this work many new
sources of resistance (and
tolerance) to EFB have been
identified
– finally new cultivars released in
Oregon in 2005
Lifecycle of Anisogramma anomala
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/botany/epp/EFB/
Rutgers Breeding Program:
z
Rutgers now has over 35,000 breeding
progeny, foreign germplasm
collections, and clonal accessions
under evaluation in the field and
greenhouse
z Working closely with Oregon State
Univ., and on our own, we have about
15 distinct sources of EFB resistance
that transmit a high level to progeny
– C. avellana, C. colurna,
C. americana, C. heterophylla
z Now, it is a matter of combining
excellent nut quality and cold hardy
catkins with genes for EFB resistance
– Easier said than done
Untapped genetic
potential
European hazelnut, C.
avellana, native range
Wild American hazelnut, C.
americana, native range
Several other species
also useful in
breeding…
Interspecific Hybridization is Ongoing
X
Corylus americana
12-15 nuts per cluster
EFB resistant, cold hardy
Purple leaf, disease
resistant and cold hardy
offspring from controlled
cross made in 2001
‘Syrena’ C. avellana Poland
2-3 nuts per cluster
EFB susc., purple leaves
Used as a parent
in 2nd generation
crosses made
in 2006 for improved nut
quality and size
GHR11P4
3-5 nuts per cluster
44.2% kernel, EFB resistant
Plants bagged for
controlled crosses
Harvest nuts in August –
early Sept.
Transplant to 1-gallon pots,
continue growth in greenhouse
After 4-5 months moistchilling, germinate in
greenhouse
Acclimate under shade prior to field
planting in September
EFB
inoculation
EFB Inoculations to Rapidly Identify
Resistance
Greenhouse inoculation of seedlings
with Anisogramma anomala, the
causal agent of eastern filbert blight.
Field Inoculations
In the fall, transplant seedlings
to field for next stage of
evaluation
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In field, trees are not
sprayed to control
pests or diseases
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Inputs are limited to
irrigation at planting
and maybe year 2,
yearly fertilizer and
weed control
We are pushing to plant large populations of
plants each year, from 5,000 to 10,000 seedlings
Trials at 3 years
Trials at 3 years
We maintain very high disease pressure
through field inoculation and natural
spread of disease
Susceptible plants die from
EFB or are culled as they
are identified
We evaluate nuts only from
EFB resistant plants
Six year old nursery grown under high
disease pressure (sick trees removed).
Starting in year 5, the focus is on the nuts
(kernels), and in the 6th, nuts and yield
Those with superior nut quality are evaluated further
High quality kernels are
desired by the world export
market (only 10% is in-shell
nuts)
Breeding goals now
include developing plants
with excellent kernels
Rutgers EFB-res
CRXR13P13
Rutgers EFB-res
H3R13P40
Santiam (OSU cultivar)
New EFB-res.
H3R13P40
Rutgers EFB-res
H3R14P26
Barcelona (commercial
Variety, EFB Susc.
Rutgers EFB-res
H3R10P88
Gasaway (original OR
source of EFB resistance
H3R10P88
Wide germplasm collections yielded two excellent EFB-resistant clones
with near commercial potential
Where are we today?
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While we have many thousands of plants in the field, so far
those in the most advanced stage came from seedlings
planted from OSU controlled crosses made in 2000
z From this group, 14 express excellent qualities (based on
original plant):
– Highly EFB resistant; medium to large size nut, with
over 50% kernel by weight; round kernels; high crop
loads few kernel defects.
Clonal Yield Trial at Rutgers
July 2011 (established 2009)
• Trials must be evaluated for 7 years or more
• Testing in multiple locations with different
climates and soils will help us identify the best
plants and to measure if any are suitable for
release, and larger scale propagation and planting
First Replicated Yield
Trials in the Northeast
(7 years of evaluation)
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Trials are established in a
randomized complete block design
and include Rutgers selections
and several available in the trade
(‘Jefferson’ and ‘Theta’ from OSU,
‘Barcelona’, and Tonda di Giffoni’)
Plants evaluated for nut yield, EFB
presence, presence of other
disease and insect pests, growth
habit, vigor, etc.
Long-term trials will allow us to
make educated, data supported
decisions on plants to move
forward with.
Trials now in NJ (3), NY (3), PA
(1), NE (1), Ontario (1)
New 2011
Replicated
Trial in
Stockton, NJ
Rutgers Hazelnut Program: Goal is to develop
hazelnut as a sustainable option for farmers of the
northeast– breeding, as well as…
How do we grow and produce
the crop?
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U.S., Italian, and Spanish
cultivars drop their nuts from the
husk when mature
– mechanically harvested from
orchard floor
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Turkish cultivars clasp the nuts in
the husk to facilitate hand
harvesting
z Nuts to be sold in shell or as
kernels?
– Different cultivars for each end
product
Hazelnut harvest in Oregon:
nuts fall to ground at maturity
and are swept up
The necessary equipment
and understanding exists to
mechanize harvest
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Other plants do not drop from the leafy husk
at maturity, similar to Turkish types
These will require different harvest method,
but may work good for homeowners and pick
your own operations
Site Preparation and Planting
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pH over 5.6 to around 7 with deep well-drained soils
preferred, but hazelnuts perform well on a variety of soil
types (except overly wet sites)
z Field layout/spacing depends on objectives
– 20’ between rows, 10’ in row
z
Yearly fertilization required once crop is harvested, but rates
not optimized for east
z Weed control essential in establishment years (older trees
will shade weeds)
z Few insect pests - require little to no insecticides
– Brown marmorated stink bug may present a problem
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Diseases controlled through breeding resistant plants
Irrigation only needed in year(s) of establishment (unless
very severe drought)
Hazelnut plants grow similarly in NJ to that of OR
Rate of growth, year to flowering, etc.
Consistent crops and EFB resistance is different story
Large breeding and screening effort coupled to
multi-location field trials should help us find the
best plant material
Many of the growing and harvesting techniques
already proven in US and elsewhere can be utilized
here
Bush or Tree?
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Hazelnuts grow
naturally as a large
multi-stemmed
shrub
They can be pruned
to a single stem to
ease harvesting and
maintenance, but
requires yearly
suckering
Need appropriate
pollenizers Wind pollinated
Self-incompatible
Should you plant hazelnuts?
This depends on your end goal (first
question to answer in any planting)
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Commercially --Not yet…
We and others are working on this.
– Those interested but willing to wait 4-5 years should contact
me and keep in touch (attend field days and grow some
existing cultivars to get some experience)
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Backyard growers will likely have success with
– OSU EFB-resistant plants ‘Jefferson’, ‘Yamhill’, ‘Santiam’ plus
pollinizers Theta, Delta, and Gamma
– Slate (NY 616) and Geneva (NY 398) as well as Grimo 208P
– “hybrid” seedlings are quite variable for many traits and
usually have tiny nuts. We only recommend growing clonal
plants (layered or grafted)
– Tonda di Giffoni has a high level of tolerance and excellent
nuts
Contact information
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Thomas Molnar Plant Biology and Pathology Dept., 59 Dudley Road,
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
molnar@aesop.rutgers.edu
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Northern Nut Growers Association – for recommendations,
locating scion wood, etc., has an excellent newsletter (the
Nutshell) and more scholarly Annual Report with scientific nut
articles and grower tips.
– www.nutgrowing.org
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Grimo Nut Nursery – High quality grafted nut trees
– http://www.grimonut.com/
z Nolin River Nursery – High quality grafted nut trees
– http://www.nolinnursery.com/
z Burnt Ridge Nursery – High quality grafted nut trees
– http://www.burntridgenursery.com/
Acknowledgments
and thanks!
z
New Jersey Agricultural
Experiment Station
z Rutgers Center for
Turfgrass Science
z Contributors:
John Capik, Adam Morgan, Clayton Leadbetter,
Anya Raskin, Ning Zhang, Emily Walsh, Brad
Hillman, Guohong Cai, Mark Inzano, David
Zaurov, Joe Goffreda, Shawn Mehlenbacher,
Scott Josiah, Doug Farrar, Margaret Brennan,
Elwin Orton, Reed Funk, Peter Kahn, Joe
Heckman, Bill Messerroll.
Hybrid Hazelnut
Consortium partners:
Questions?
Inexpensive Buck Rub prevention
The loose movement of the plastic
Fencing seems to deter buck rub
Squirrels can be
one of the largest
pest problems in
nut plantings
Electrified squirrel fence at the University of
Nebraska, Lincoln is very effective