The behavior of hazelnut cultivars in the eco-pedoclimatic conditions of the Bucharest area

Abstract

Hazelnut is an essential species for nut production worldwide; extensive orchard areas have recently been planted in Romania. To choose the best cultivars to be grown in the future, a study was done on the behavior of seven hazelnut cultivars in the eco-pedoclimatic conditions of the Bucharest area. 'Hall’s Giant', 'Tonda Gentile delle Langhe', 'Romavel', 'Red Lambert', 'Tonda di Giffoni', 'Tonda Gentile Romana', and 'Vâlcea 22' were planted in the Experimental Orchard of the Faculty of Horticulture within the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest. The results presented the behavior of hazelnut cultivars detailing the number of branches per tree, according to their age, and annually for each branch, length, and total cross-section area were measured. The influence of cultivars on yield and fruit characteristics at the harvest moment was detailed. 'Romavel' and 'Vâlcea 22' had the fruits with the highest weight, more than 3.3 g/fruit, while 'Red Lambert' and 'Tonda di Giffoni' presented the lowest values. 'Hall’s Giant' was the most vigorous cultivar, and 'Vâlcea 22' the less vigorous. Interesting growth dynamics for each cultivar and all studied branches in the two experimental years were detailed. First and second-year branches had the highest TCSA growth rhythm, but that was not maintained for the third to fifth-year branches.

Keywords

• corylus avellana
• fruit
• tree vigor
• annual growth