Hazelnuts: A New Sustainable Crop for the Northeastern United States

Hazelnuts: A New Sustainable Crop for the Northeastern United States

Summary

Over the past fourteen years, hazelnut research and genetic improvement at Rutgers University has lead to the development of cold-hardy, disease-resistant hazelnut selections that show promise for commercial production in the northeast. These selections represent some of the first hazelnut plants well adapted to this region that also produce large high-quality, round nuts with thin-shells and a high kernel percentage (over 50% kernel to shell by weight). They are being propagated to undergo systematic multi-location evaluation for their usefulness in low-input sustainable farming situations. Funding from the SARE Partnership grant is being used to clonally propagate and establish the plants at four locations. Evaluations will continue for seven years after planting. These plantings will also function as demonstration trials to inform farmers and the public of the progress made in hazelnut breeding, and to display hazelnuts as a new sustainable, high-value crop for the northeastern U.S.

Trial locations include the Rutgers Horticultural Farm 3, North Brunswick, NJ; 2. Peter’s Paw Paws, Aquaboque, NY (Long Island); 3. Garden of Eve Certified Organic Farm, Riverhead, NY (Long Island); and 4. Olson’s Tree Farming, Findley Lake, NY (Western NY). An alternative site to replace the Garden of Eve Site was added, which is located in central NY and run by Jeff Zarnowski. From these trials we hope to identify the highest-yielding selections most suited for reliable low-input production in the northeast as a precursor to larger-scale testing for commercial production.

Objectives/Performance Targets

1. 1. Clonally propagate the 14 superior experimental hazelnut selections developed at Rutgers and two control plants through grafting and field (mound) layering. Twenty-four trees of each clone are needed to plant the four replicated trials (14 experimental clones and 2 controls [‘Jeffferson’ and ‘Theta’] x 6 plants each x 4 locations for a total of 384 plants). Extra plants of each will also be propagated as backup to ensure replicated trials are complete (completed in 2010).
   2. Grow approximately 100 hazelnuts from improved seed to act as a border rows and supplemental pollen sources for the replicated trials (completed in 2010).
   3. Discuss planting details and field maintenance requirements with cooperating farmers (completed in 2010).
   4. Establish field trials at locations (established trials in 2010 at Peter’s Paw Paws, Olsen Tree Farming, Jeff Zarnowski farm, and Rutgers Univ.).
   5. Present seminar at the Annual Northern Nut Growers Conference to discuss replicated trials and hazelnuts as a potential new crop for the Northeast (completed in 2010).
   6. Invite the NY Nut Growers Association, PA Nut Growers Association, and members of the Northern Nut Growers Association in the Fall of 2010 to visit regionally local planting sites to observe the establishment of the new Rutgers clones and to also provide information and collect feedback about growing hazelnuts as a new crop (completed 2010).

Accomplishments/Milestones

Additional hazelnut propagation began in March 2010 by grafting in the greenhouse at Rutgers. We also mound layered a number of the experimental clones in the field as a backup to the greenhouse propagation. Over 300 plants were propagated to develop complete trials for planting in Fall 2010 (including plants propagated in 2009). We propagated sufficient numbers of each clone to establish the replicated trials as planned. Trials were established in September 2010 at Peter’s Paw Paws, Aquaboque, NY (Long Island); Olson’s Tree Farming, Findley Lake, NY; the Rutgers Horticultural Farm 3, North Brunswick, NJ; and a new site run by Jeff Zarnowski, Homer, NY (central New York). A spring 2011 planted trial is planned for the Garden of Eve Certified Organic Farm, Riverhead, NY (Long Island). An invited lecture was presented at the Northern Nut Growers Assoc. 101st Annual meeting at Wooster College, Wooster, Ohio on July 19, 2010. The title was, “Update on the Rutgers hazel project.” The SARE sponsored hazelnut trials were discussed. Also, we hosted our first Hybrid Hazelnut Field Day at Rutgers on July 31, 2010. Invited speakers came from Italy, Nebraska, and New York. There were over 80 people in attendance including Rutgers faculty, extension agents, farmers, and future hazelnut growers. Presentations were held in the morning at the Cook Campus Center and field tours were provided in the afternoon of the hazelnut research plots at Hort Farm 3. My presentation was titled, “The Rutgers Hazelnut Project,” where the SARE trials were highlighted. Peter Haarmann, a cooperating farmer on the project, also spoke about his hazelnut experiences and the SARE sponsored project. Jeff Zarnowski, who is joining the project, also made a presentation on his prevous work and the establishment of the new SARE sponsored trials. Following presentations, a tour was provided of the hazelnut research plots including the new replicated trial.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

At the completion of the project, replicated trials of superior Rutgers experimental hazelnut clones will be established on three private farms and one land grant institution. These trials will be used to identify the best performing clones that will then be propagated for larger scale testing, as well as for demonstration and teaching. While the two-year timeline of this funding covers primarily the propagation and establishment of the hazelnut research trials (nut evaluation will begin in year three), the cooperators are personally committed to a longer evaluation period of the plant material (seven years), as well as providing access for demonstration and the timely dissemination of project results during the multi-year timeline. The overriding goal of this project is to identify the highest-yielding, most reliably performing experimental selections and then propagate them for larger-scale testing and possible release for early-stage commercial production. The trials will also help to identify unforeseen pitfalls or challenges of hazelnut production in the northeast before moving to the greater investment and risk of larger-scale production.

Collaborators: