Hazelnuts
A New Sustainable Crop for the Northeastern United States
Research at Rutgers University has led to the development of hazelnut cultivars adapted to the climate and disease pressures in the Northeastern United States. Eastern filbert blight (EFB), a fungal disease, is one of the main obstacles to commercial hazelnut production in the Northeast. Furthermore, most commercial cultivars from Europe are not sufficiently cold-hardy, although some selections from northern Europe and Russia are well suited to New Jersey’s climate. American hazelnuts, which are EFB-resistant and cold-tolerant, produce low-quality nuts. At Rutgers, cold hardy, EFB-resistant European and American hazelnuts are crossed with disease susceptible, high-quality European cultivars. Offspring from these crosses are evaluated and selected for disease resistance, cold tolerance, and improved nut quality. Promising selections are planted in demonstration trials on Rutgers research farms and on commercial farms in the Northeast region.
The principal goal is to identify high-yielding, reliable cultivars for commercial production in the Northeast. Hazelnuts are a high-value, low-input perennial crop. They have few pest and disease issues besides EFB, for which we have resistance. Once established, they require little to no supplemental irrigation and have minimal pruning requirements. The main challenges for organic producers likely will be weed control and fertility.
Thomas Molnar
848-932-6330
thomas.molnar@rutgers.edu
Partners
- Oregon State University
- University of Nebraska, Lincoln
- Arbor Day Foundation
- Northern Nut Growers Association
For More Information
- Hazelnut Research and Breeding at Rutgers
- Breeding Hazelnuts for Emerging Markets
- Muehlbauer, M., Capik, J., Molnar, T. 2013. Hazelnuts: an emerging crop for the northeast (PDF). Fruit Notes 78, 20-25.
Duration
Ongoing
Funding Sources
- New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
- Rutgers Center for Turfgrass Science
- Northern Nut Growers Association Hatch funds provided by USDA-NIFA USDA-NIFA Specialty Crops Research Initiative Competitive Grant 2009-51181-06028
- Northeast SARE Partnership Project Grant and Graduate Student Grant