HAZELNUT

INTRODUCTION

 Botanical Name: Corylus avellana

 Family: Betulaceae
 Chromosome Number: 2n = 22
 Origin: Asia Minor
 Common Name: Hazelnut
 Other Names: European Filbert, Cobnut, Bhotia Badam
 Two species of filbert: C. americana and C. cornuta (native to North America)
 Although it is an introduced crop in India, native hazel (C. colurna) also exists in
forests of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

AREA AND PRODUCTION

 The main hazelnut-producing countries are Turkey, Italy, Spain, USA, and Greece.
 Although hazelnut is also produced in the Former Soviet Union, Iran, Romania, and
France, these countries do not have a major input in the world hazelnut trade.
 Turkey is the largest hazelnut producer and exporter in the world.
 In India, the major areas with seedling populations are in Himachal Pradesh,
particularly in:
o Rampur, Rohru, Kotkhai tehsils
o Bahali, Sungri, Badseri, and Jareshi area of Shimla district
o Sangla (Chansu), Nichar, and Katgaon of Kinnaur district
o Pangi tehsil of Chamba district.
HAZELNUT NUTRITION (PER 28.35 G SERVING SIZE)

Calories
 183 kcal
 Vitamin E: 4.33 mg (29% DV)
 Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): 0.176 mg (10% DV)
 Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): 0.096 mg (8% DV)
 Vitamin B9 (Folate): 24.9 µg (6% DV)
 Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 0.581 mg (4% DV)
 Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 0.035 mg (3% DV)
 Less than 2% DV: Vitamin C
 Protein: 4.26 g (9% DV)
 Fats: 17.7 g (27% DV)
 Carbohydrates: 4.99 g

CLIMATE AND SOIL

 The preferred climate for hazelnut is mild summer and cool winter.
 It can be grown at an elevation of 1,800–3,300 m.
 Longer periods of chilling are required to ensure fruit fullness and reliable nut yields.
 Chilling requirements vary for male catkins, female flowers, and leaf buds, but about
1,200 hours between 5–7°C are suitable.
o For female flowers, frost pockets and temperatures below -5°C should be
avoided when they begin to open.
 Low temperatures followed by warmer weather near the end of winter are ideal for
fruiting.
 More than 750 mm of annual rainfall is required for good production, and
supplementary irrigation is useful during the establishment stage.
 Hazelnuts require well-drained soil about 1.8 m deep.
 A neutral to slightly acidic soil (pH about 6) is suitable.
 Lime should be applied if pH drops below 5.6.
PRUNING

 Hazelnut trees usually do not require pruning until the second year.
 Do not prune young trees excessively so as to avoid removing too much wood. One
recommendation is to remove one-half the fruiting area from one-fifth of the trees
annually, while leaving as large a branch framework as possible.
 Bushes can also be coppiced (cut to the ground) if the growth form or size becomes
undesirable; re-growth is dependable.
 Prune hazelnuts in late winter and early spring before dormant buds begin to grow.
 Pruning during late fall may result in tree injury, where fresh large cuts can dry back
to main scaffold branches before these sites heal during the following spring.
 In moist climate areas such as the coastal regions, this is important since pruning sites
that are exposed to wetness for too long time may allow fungal or bacterial rot to
establish resulting in systemic damage to the trees.
 Remove all pruned cuttings from the orchard before the trees begin to grow in spring
to prevent the possible spread of disease.

TRAINING

 After the first growing season the process of scaffold selection can begin.
 The goal is to select 3 to 5 scaffold branches that are evenly spaced around the tree.
Hopefully one can achieve some vertical distance between branches.
 Avoid selecting two branches that are emerging from the trunk at the same height.
 This situation would ultimately make for some weak branches, as they grow older.
 Also, scaffold branches should be high enough so as not to interfere with maintenance
and harvesting, but not too high up to make trees top heavy.
 After the scaffold branches are selected, it helps to come back the following year and
support them by removing any strong competing branches.
 Once the scaffolds get a “head start”, they usually do all right. After the scaffolds have
been established, trees are generally left alone.
 Excessive pruning of young trees can delay or reduce their early yields.
 After the trees are ten years old or older, they may require more corrective pruning,
depending on their vigor and spacing.
PROPAGATION

 Hazelnut trees are commonly raised from seed but show wide variation.
 Grafting and budding methods are more superior and can be used commercially.
 Rooted suckers of Corylus avellana species are used as rootstocks.
 Mostly, seedlings of hazelnut are used as rootstock, but Corylus colurna (Turkish
hazelnut) has also been recommended.

IRRIGATION

Irrigation is especially important in new plantings where plants have small and shallow root
system.
Do not allow the root ball to dry out after planting. Irrigate (or hand water where irrigation is
not installed) for the first few weeks.
Water stress to the trees should be avoided from flowering to nut maturity.
It is necessary to irrigate often in the summer (especially July and August) as upper soil
layers dry quicker than deeper soil layers.
Drip irrigation may be optimal while trees are young.
Soil moisture devices such as tensiometers or capacitance probes should be used to
determinate when to water, and how much water to apply.

BOTANY
 Fruit type - Single seed nut
 Edible part - Cotyledon (Seed)
 Inflorescence - Catkin
 Flowers - Monoecious flowers
VARIETIES

 There are no standard named varieties under cultivation in India.

 The trees are mostly of seedling origin.
 Some important varieties which could be cultivated commercially in India include:
Daviana, Halsche reisun, Romisch zeller, Lambert filbert, Tonda giffoni, Tonda
romana, Gentile delle Langhe, Barcelona, Duchilley.
 Other good varieties are Cosford Cob, Pearson's Prolific, Atlas, Hempless, and
Tomollo.

HARVESTING AND YIELD

 Hazelnuts mature when the nut turns brown, but it is better to wait until the nuts start
falling from the tree.
 Nuts are generally harvested with hand rakes. The removal of blank nuts or nuts with
shriveled kernels is essential to maintain high quality, but identifying blank nuts is
difficult.
 For small quantities, nuts can be placed in water to separate blanks, which float. After
collection, nuts should be cleaned and dried to approximately 8-10% moisture. Some
confectionery companies require a maximum of 6% moisture.
 Drying is typically done at 32-38°C. The bright color of nuts can be retained by
mixing them with common salt. The optimum roasting temperature is 148-155°C for
7 minutes.
 Hazelnuts begin to bear fruit at approximately 3 years of age. At 6 years, yields reach
around 2-2.5 kg/tree. Mature trees without irrigation or fertilizers can produce 20-25
kg/tree.
 With intensive management, yields can be as high as 40 kg/tree.
 Hazelnut trees are reliable for cropping and have a long lifespan, often producing
profitable yields up to 70-80 years.
POST-HARVEST ACTIVITIES

Processing Hazelnut growers in British Columbia are rarely involved in the post-harvest
operations, as nuts go directly to processing after harvest and follow these steps:
• Nuts are cleaned and dehydrated before they are stored.
• Nuts are placed in long-term storage.
• Nuts are shelled and packaged to be shipped to market or secondary manufacturers.
These operations take place at a central processing facility. At these locations, various
municipal, provincial and federal regulations must be met. Post-harvest operations require
facilities and the end product to meet existing food safety and quality regulations.

SPECIAL HANDLING/CURING Nuts are de-husked, cleaned, washed,

sanitized and dried to 5-8% moisture within
24 hours of harvest
STORAGE CONDITIONS Relative humidity (RH): 60-65%
STORAGE TEMPERATURE <10oc
DURATION Temperature dependent. Cooler
temperatures increase storage life

INSECT MANAGEMENT IN HAZELNUT

 Nut weevil is the major insect affecting hazelnuts.

 Other minor insect pests include:
o Aphid
o Eye-spotted bud moth
o Filbert bud mite
o Filbert leaf roller
o Filbert worm
 Organic control: Spray azadirachtin oil (Neem oil).
 Use insect pest-resistant varieties for prevention.
 Chemical control:
 o Dimethoate 30 EC or Methyl demeton 25 EC (1 ml/l) for aphid
control.
o Fenthion 100 EC (1 ml/l) spray application.

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

 Filbert blight is caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas arboricola pv.

corylina (Xanthomonas campestris pv. corylina).
 The disease primarily affects young trees under 6 years old or stressed
trees.
 It is lethal to commercially important European hazelnuts.

VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS

 Chocolate-hazelnut spreads:
The most popular value-added hazelnut product, similar to Nutella, where
ground hazelnuts are mixed with chocolate and other ingredients to create
a spreadable paste.
 Hazelnut butter:
A nutritious alternative to peanut butter, made by grinding roasted
hazelnuts into a smooth paste.
 Baking applications:
Chopped or ground hazelnuts added to cookies, cakes, muffins, and other
baked goods for a nutty flavor.
 Hazelnut flour:
Ground hazelnuts used as a flour substitute in baking recipes.
 Confectionery products:
Hazelnut pralines, truffles, and other chocolate-based confections often
incorporate hazelnuts.
 Beverage applications:
Hazelnut-infused coffee, where roasted hazelnuts are ground and added to
coffee for a unique flavor.

MARKETING

There are many factors to consider when it comes to marketing. What

marketing channels will work best for your situation, and what type of
marketing and promotional tools will you use? What will be your market
area? Will it include local, domestic or export markets? Shipping product
outside your local community increases market size, but it also brings
with it the need to know and adhere to regulations designed to prevent the
movement of quarantine pests.

Wholesale versus Retail: There are markets for hazelnuts crops, including
commercial wholesalers and processors, farm markets, niche market
processors, other growers, brokers, and homeowners.

Brokering is a small but useful market channel for new growers that have
a limited product line, insufficient market contacts, and/or poor marketing
skills. Brokers or wholesalers enter into agreements with growers to
market and sell their product for an agreed upon price.

Direct selling of product to the consumer or niche processors is attractive

because it maximizes price. However, the costs associated with selling
the nuts are higher.