Hazelnuts for Your Health

Nuts, in general, and hazelnuts, in particular, are very healthy foods. Hazelnuts rank at or near the top of many of the important health categories. They're rich in protein, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron, calcium, vitamins E and B, folate, and arginine. Hazelnuts, like other tree nuts, contain no cholesterol. More than 80% of the total fat in hazelnuts is mono-unsaturated.

In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a health claim that links nut consumption to a reduced risk of heart disease.

Hazelnuts have not reached their potential in the U.S. in production or consumption. With wider, sustainable production, they could become a healthy addition to America’s diet.

The charts below compare 1 ounce of hazelnuts to other nuts.

 

 

 

 



Hazelnuts are Environmentally Friendly

Our research has shown that hybrid hazelnuts can provide numerous environmental benefits, making them attractive CRP plants, windbreaks, hedges or riparian buffers.

• Hazelnuts sequester carbon. Compared to annual crops, the extensive root systems of perennial crops help build and increase organic soil matter, sequestering more carbon from the atmosphere each year.

• Hazelnuts have a longer period of photosynthetic activity than annual crops. Because the full leaf canopy is present in hazelnuts from early spring to late fall (unlike annual crops), there is significantly more time for photosynthesis and subsequent fixation of carbon dioxide. With annual crops, canopy closure doesn’t happen until summer and bare soil does not photosynthesize and fix carbon dioxide.

• With higher annual carbon sequestration, growers may receive a higher payment through carbon aggregate programs than they receive for annual crops.

• Hazelnut plants provide great wildlife habitat and nutrition. Wildlife known to benefit from hazelnut plants include deer, wild turkeys, woodpeckers, squirrels, pheasants, quail and grouse.

Hazelnut Harvest Begins in Nebraska

We began harvesting hybrid hazelnuts today on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s East Campus. Troy Pabst, forestry property manager with the Nebraska Forest Service, said the harvest is 7-10 days early this year due to the drought. The hazelnut plants survived the hot, dry summer, but the nuts are much smaller this year, he said. The harvest is expected to take a couple of weeks.

Developing hybrid hazels that can survive in harsh weather and produce commercial-quality nuts is one of the major challenges facing the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium partners. This summer has been an excellent test for the current crop of hazelnut plants.

The drought has intensified over parts of the central U.S., according to the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and the area in Nebraska where Consortium hazelnuts are being grown is in extreme drought.

Healthy Summer Recipes

Here are some easy, healthy summer recipes from the Hazelnut Growers of Oregon.

Hazelnut and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto 

• 2 cups sun-dried tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup romano cheese

Put tomatoes, garlic and olive oil in food processor and blend until smooth. Add hazelnuts and cheese, process to the consistency you prefer, smooth or slightly chunky. Season to taste. Allow 1/4 cup pesto per serving. Good on pasta, vegetables, rice, potatoes, soup, and seafood.  

Hazelnut Sun-Dried Tomato Spread

Pulse 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts (skins removed), 1/4 cup fresh parsley, 1/2 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of their oil in food processor until coarsely chopped. Place in a medium bowl and stir in 1 cup (8 oz.) cream cheese, 1/4 cup currants, and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes until just blended. Cover and refrigerate. Makes 16 servings (2 cups).

Hazelnut Pesto Spread

Pulse 2 cups packed fresh basil, 1 cup toasted hazelnuts (skins removed), 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup each olive oil and lemon juice and 2 cloves garlic in food processor until blended. Cover and refrigerate. Makes 12 servings (1 1/2 cups).

Hazelnut Hummus

Puree one can (16 oz.) garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed), 3/4 cup toasted hazelnuts (skins removed), 1/4 cup fresh parsley, 1/4 cup each lemon juice and olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in food processor until blended. Cover and refrigerate. Makes 16 servings (2 cups).

 

Meet the Partners: Nebraska Forest Service 
& the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The Nebraska Forest Service and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) have been conducting research on hazelnuts for 10 years, focusing on yield, oil yield, cold hardiness, drought resistance and bioenergy. In addition to plant research, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has developed mechanical equipment for harvesting hazelnuts.

Through an array of strategic initiatives and partnerships, the Nebraska Forest Service (NFS) fosters tree- and forest-based economic development across the state. It has worked on numerous extension and outreach programs to educate farmers and other agricultural professionals about hybrid hazelnuts.

Above & below: Thousands of hybrid hazelnuts are
 being tested at Horning Farm in Nebraska.

NFS is doing the majority of field testing for hazelnut cultivars produced through Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium breeding efforts at Rutgers and Oregon State. Thousands of hazelnuts are planted at NFS’s Horning State Farm Demonstration Forest near Plattsmouth, Nebr., and on UNL’s East Campus, where they’re being studied for resistance to eastern filbert blight and their ability to survive in extreme weather. 

Tests at UNL have shown that hazelnut oil's characteristics make
it an excellent candidate for biodiesel and other oleochemicals.  

The Industrial Agricultural Products Center at UNL has analyzed hybrid hazelnut oil as part of its work with the Consortium. The analysis has yielded some interesting findings: 

• An average hazelnut produces nearly twice the amount of oil per acre as soybeans.
• The physical/chemical characteristics of hazelnuts for biodiesel are substantially superior to soybean oil.
• The percentage of oil per hazelnut kernel ranges from 56.1% to 75.2%.
• Hazelnut oil has a unique fatty acid composition, thermal stability and low temperature properties that should increase its value over soybean oil for a number of applications.

Hazelnuts as Feedstock

Hybrid hazelnuts can produce nearly twice the amount of oil per acre as soybeans, and the oil's physical and chemical properties make it substantially superior to soybean oil for culinary use and biodiesel fuel production. 

A largely unexplored, yet promising, opportunity exists with the byproduct created when oil is extracted from hazelnuts. A high-quality protein meal remains that can be used for livestock feed.

Adopting hazelnuts as a feedstock crop would increase overall crop diversity for growers, reducing their risk while promoting integrated, environmentally friendly production systems.

Hazelnuts Are Drought Resistant

We’re sweltering in triple-digit heat in the Midwest today. We’ve had no measureable rainfall in weeks and the extremely hot, dry conditions are expected to continue through next week. Annual crops are under considerable stress, which points to one of the significant reasons we think hybrid hazelnuts hold promise for Midwest growers.

Hazelnuts use less water and are drought resistant. Massive root systems allow the perennial plants to avoid short-term droughts that adversely affect annual crops. Tests in Nebraska have shown that hazelnuts can be a staple dry-land crop. If irrigation is needed, drip or trickle irrigation can be used with hazelnuts which greatly increases water efficiency and helps conserve this vital resource.

Climatically Adapted Hazelnuts 
Would Increase Growing Area

Oregon’s temperate Willamette Valley produces almost all of the U.S. hazelnut crop which was valued $89.3 million in 2011, a 32% increase over the previous year. This represents only about 3% of the world crop, however, so it’s easy to see the potential for American farmers if climatically adapted hazelnuts can be developed.

We believe the U.S. has the potential to become one of the world’s leading, sustainable hazelnut producers, which is why we’re working to develop disease-resistant hazelnuts that can survive greater fluctuations in temperatures than those in Oregon. Expanding the growing region will create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars, and would allow homeowners and gardeners to grow and enjoy tasty, high-quality hazelnuts as well.   
  

 

U.S. hazelnut production currently is limited to the
Willamette Valley in Oregon.

This is the potential growing area for hazelnuts if climatically
adapted hybrids are developed.

Hybrid Hazelnuts:
An Agroforestry Opportunity

We believe tremendous opportunity will exist for U.S. farmers and nut growers when disease-resistant, climatically adapted hazelnuts are developed. Why? Because hazelnut plants require less water than annual crops, are drought resistant and can be grown on hilly, sloping or marginal soils. Our research in Nebraska has shown that hazelnuts can be a high-yielding dry-land crop.

Hybrid hazelnut shrubs will be suitable for integration into farming systems as orchards or income-producing windbreaks or snow fences. Used in riparian forest buffers, they will reduce erosion, store water and trap soil, chemicals and nutrients while producing additional income for landowners.
 
They also may provide revenue-generating capability for small, difficult-to-farm parcels of land, such as corners created by pivot irrigation systems or in areas where unusual topography is unsuited for cultivated crops.

And where ever they’re planted, they’ll provide year-round habitat for wildlife. Check out our website at www.arborday.org/programs/hazelnuts/consortium for more information about the potential of hybrid hazelnuts.

Hazelnuts Are Sustainable, Nutritious 

"Delicious desserts are one thing, but delicious sustainable desserts are another," says Matthew Taylor, executive chef at the Arbor Day Foundation's Lied Lodge restaurant in Nebraska City, Nebr.

These hazelnut chocolate bouchons meet both criteria, Chef Matt says, because he uses hazelnuts harvested from the hybrid hazelnut field 500 feet from the kitchen. "They add nutritious, great-tasting flavor to a variety of dishes we serve here at Lied Lodge," he says.

Hazelnut Flourless Chocolate Bouchons
2 lbs. chocolate
1 tsp. salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 vanilla beans
1½ cups sugar
1 oz. powdered gelatin
2 cups crushed toasted hazelnuts
6 egg whites
Cocoa powder
1 cup whole toasted hazelnuts

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat for approximately 15 minutes. Combine salt, cream, milk, vanilla beans, sugar and gelatin in a sauce pan and bring to a scald. Be careful not to boil. Set aside to cool. Slowly stir the cream mixture into the melted chocolate and reserve at room temperature; add the crushed hazelnuts. Chill a bowl and the egg whites, and then whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. Fold into the chocolate mixture. Spray a silicone mold with pan spray and dust with cocoa powder. Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes or until picks come out clean. Chill the mold. Remove for serving, and garnish with toasted hazelnuts.

Meet the Partners: Arbor Day Foundation

Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) began its Hazelnut Research Project in 1996 with plantings of hybrid hazelnuts at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Nebr. By 2000 the project had evolved to include charter members across the nation conducting research on hazelnuts in their own backyards, and has reached nearly 100,000 active members.

This spring, about 40,000 hybrid hazelnut plants (shown above) were grown in ADF's greenhouse—the largest crop their facilities have ever handled.

A hybrid hazelnut sprouting in the greenhouse.

Among the key findings from ADF research are: best practices and methods for growing hazelnuts from seeds; hybrid hazelnuts can thrive in Nebraska as a dryland crop; and Arbor Day Farm hybrids grow best in zones 4-8.

Greenhouse Manager Adam Howard checks the root
system and structure on a hybrid hazelnut plant.

Hazelnut research fields surround Arbor
Day Foundation's beautiful Lied Lodge
in Nebraska City.

Consortium Partners Present Findings 

A few weeks ago Dr. Shawn Mehlenbacher from Oregon State wrote about his recent trip to Chile with Oregon hazelnut researchers and growers where he presented at a conference and also visited Chilean nurseries and hazelnut farms. 

Below is a partial list of other presentations and articles published by Consortium members over the past year detailing our work to create hybrid hazelnuts that are blight-resistant and can grow in areas with hot and cold weather extremes. For a comprehensive list, see the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium website.  

Chambers, U., V.M. Walton, and S.A. Mehlenbacher. 2011.
Susceptibility of hazelnut cultivars to filbertworm, Cydia latiferreana. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. October 2011 vol. 46 no. 10 1377-1380. 

Sathuvalli, V. S.A. Mehlenbacher and D.C. Smith. 2011.
DNA markers linked to eastern filbert blight resistance from a hazelnut selection from the Republic of Georgia. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 136: 350–357.

Kahn, P.C., T.J. Molnar, G. Zhang., and C.R. Funk. 2011. Investing in Perennial Crops to Sustainably Feed the World. Issues in Science and Technology. Summer 2011, p. 75–81

G. Cai, C. Leadbetter, T. Molnar, and B.I. Hillman. 2011. Genome sequencing and analysis of Anisogramma anomala, the causal agent of eastern filbert blight. Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the American Phytopathological Society, Honolulu, HI, August 6-11, 2011. Phytopathology Vol. 101, No. 6 (Supplement) S25 [search Cai]

G. Cai, C. Leadbetter, T. Molnar, and B.I. Hillman. 2011. Genome-wide identification and characterization of microsatellite markers in Anisogramma anomala. Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the American Phytopathological Society, Honolulu, HI, August 6-11, 2011. Phytopathology Vol. 101, No. 6 (Supplement) S25 [search Cai]

Leadbetter, C., T. Molnar and J. Capik. 2011. Screening new hazelnut germplasm for resistance to eastern filbert blight. HortScience 46(9):S4. (Abstr.) [Search Leadbetter]

Capik, J and T.J. Molnar. 2011. Breeding ornamental hazelnuts. HortScience 46(9):S3. (Abstr.) [search Capik]

Molnar, T.J., Capik, J., Leadbetter, C.W., Zhang, Z., Cai, G. and B. Hillman. 2011. Developing hazelnuts (Corylus spp.) with durable resistance to eastern filbert blight caused by Anisogramma anomala. Abstracts of the Fourth International Workshop on the Genetics of Host-Parasite Interactions in Forestry. Pg. 39 Eugene, Oregon, July 31–Aug. 5, 2011 [search Molnar]

Molnar, T.J. and J. Capik. 2011. Breeding for eastern filbert blight resistance in hazelnuts. HortScience 46(9):S8. (Abstr.) [search Molnar]

 Mehlenbacher, S.A., D.C. Smith and R.L. McCluskey. 2011. “Jefferson” hazelnut. HortScience April 2011 46:662-664.

Mehlenbacher, S.A., D.C. Smith, R.L. McCluskey and M.M. Thompson. 2011.'Tonda Pacifica' hazelnut. HortScience March 2011 46:505-508.

Sathuvalli, V.R. 2011. Eastern filbert blight in hazelnut (Corylus avellana): Identification of new resistance sources and high resolution genetic and physical mapping of a resistance gene. PhD dissertation. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.

Sathuvalli, V.R. and S.A. Mehlenbacher. 2011. Characterization of American hazelnut (Corylus americana) accessions and Corylus americana x Corylus avellana hybrids using microsatellite markers. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution DOI 10.1007/s10722-011-9743-0.

Seedlings at Rutgers Inoculated With EFB

Today at Rutgers University, thousands of hazelnut seedlings are being inoculated with spores of the fungus Anisogramma anomala to test their resistance to eastern filbert blight.

The inoculation procedure begins with cutting the stromata (mushroom-like fruiting bodies) from infected stems. 

Next, the stromata are ground up in distilled water with a mortar and pestle to release the millions of spores they contain. This spore solution is then diluted to a specific concentration shown to work best with young hazelnut seedlings. 

The spore solution is sprayed directly onto the growing tips of plants, which are grown in humidity chambers that mimic the conditions that occur in nature during infection.

John Capik sprays seedlings in the inoculation

chamber with the spore solution.

  

From this point on, it’s a waiting game. Believe it or not, this fungus can take up to 16 months to show its devastating effects.  

The plants are raised normally after inoculations and even the susceptible ones (unknown at the time) grow well. By the end of the summer, the plants typically reach 6-8 feet tall. From here, they’re overwintered in a cold greenhouse for chilling. Proper winter chilling is necessary for the plants to leaf out and begin growing normally in the spring as well as to trigger the fungus to create the EFB cankers. They wake up and start growing the following March. It’s not until June or July that the EFB cankers become apparent and we can identify those that appear to be resistant to the disease.

These seedlings were inoculated last year, and

now we're waiting to see if cankers emerge

on the stems.

We discard the sick plants and plant the apparently healthy ones in the field in October, which grow for five more years. At the end of this time, those that show no eastern filbert blight are evaluated for the nuts they produce. – Dr. Tom Molnar, Rutgers University
 

Hazelnuts Are Good for You!

My iced hazelnut latte this morning sent me on a quest for other ways to use hazelnuts. The Nebraska Nut Growers offer these ideas for incorporating heart-healthy hazels and other nuts into your diet. Easy! 

• Add to tossed salads
• Stir-fry with vegetables or chicken
• Blend into fruit shakes 
• Use in stuffings 
• Mix into pancake or waffle batter 
• Add to rice dishes 
• Add to cake or cookie batter
• Encrust fish with chopped nuts and bake
• Dip in melted chocolate

Hazelnut Oil
Pressed from hazelnuts, hazelnut oil is similar in composition to extra virgin olive oil and is high in Omega 9 and Omega 6 fatty acids, making it a healthy cooking option. It's very flavorful so start with a small amount and add according to your taste. Some good ways to use it? In salad dressing (try it with whole grain mustard, minced shallot, sherry and cider vinegar and salt and pepper) or drizzled over ravioli or avocados. Hazelnut oil also goes well with pumpkin – brush it over cut pumpkin before roasting or drizzle on pumpkin soup. – Nancy Evans, Nebraska Forest Service

Rutgers Scientists Sequence
the EFB Genome

EFB presents as cankers on hazelnut branches.

Severe cankering is followed by branch dieback

and death of most European (Corylus avellana)

hazelnut plants.

One of the major accomplishments of the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium’s work to date is sequencing the genome of Anisogramma anomala, the filamentous fungus that causes eastern filbert blight (EFB). EFB is one of the key factors limiting commercial hazelnut production.

Understanding the genetic sequence of A. anomala will allow us to determine which plants contain useful genetic resistance, whether various fungal strains affect plants differently and whether environment plays a part in resistance and/or disease progression. This will help us determine which parent plants to breed, how likely EFB is to change over time and how that would affect host resistance.

Dr. Brad Hillman and Dr. Guohong Cai from Rutgers successfully sequenced the genome after isolating the fungus DNA from a two-month-old sample, and analyzed it using an Illumina sequencer. A. anomala is particularly difficult to work with because it doesn’t grow well outside of infected plants.

The massive amount of sequence data was assembled using a short-read method called SOAPdenovo, and the assembled sequence was analyzed to develop simple sequence repeat (SSR, also called microsatellite) gene markers for the fungus. The A. anomala genome was found to be surprisingly large, and 85% of it was “repetitive” DNA typical of transposable genetic elements.

Next steps in the research are to sequence the genome in greater depth to obtain a better genome assembly as a platform for future work. We also will complete “draft” sequences of additional strains of A. anomala from different populations around the U.S. and will combine this information with experimental screening of microsatellite loci.

OSU Research Team Travels to Chile

Sandoval family farm in Chillan

I traveled to the International Hazelnut Congress in Temuco, Chile, in March, accompanied by key members of the Oregon State University hazelnut breeding program and 17 Oregon hazelnut growers.

The OSU breeding and genetics project members gave five presentations (Mehlenbacher, Smith and McCluskey) and two posters (Mehlenbacher, McCluskey and Rowley). OSU Yamhill County Extension’s Jeff Olsen also presented at the meetings. These meetings gave Oregon growers a chance to meet researchers working on hazelnuts from other countries, and to see OSU researchers interacting with their peers. People from three other countries joined the group part-time.   

Above & below: El Avellano nursery

In addition to the meetings, which were engaging for researchers and growers alike, we traveled north to south through much of Chile, stopping along the way for farmer-to-farmer exchanges with hazelnut growers and experiencing true cultural exchange and interaction. We saw cultivars, pollinizers, nurseries, propagation and harvest equipment, and met key players in the Chilean hazelnut industry. In Chillán, about 350 miles south of the capital Santiago, we observed researchers working to solve problems caused by the root-feeding larvae of beetles commonly called "burritos." All of these visits were well-structured with key people on hand to interpret the experience.  

We also visited the only Chilean nursery licensed to propagate OSU hazelnut releases, in Hijuelas, about an hour north of Santiago. We toured the Viveros Hijuelas operation, including the micropropagation facility and lath houses. They produce and sell four OSU cultivars and two pollinizers. 

SMR lab

The two weeks on the ground in Chile were long ones, but they were not all work. Growers had ample time to develop an appreciation for the culture and the people of Chile. The trip combined many asados (barbequed or roasted beef), lots of good wine and:   
· Hiking up Cerro San Cristobal—a hill providing impressive views of Santiago;
· Walking along the beach in Vina del Mar, and riding an ascensor up a hill in Valpariso;
· Seeing monkey puzzle trees in their native Andean habitat;
· Visiting Valdivia, a university town similar to Corvallis, and many other stops along the way;
· Seeing the Lake District near the border with Argentina;
· Climbing to the snowline of Mt. Osorno, a volcano in the Andes.

Everywhere, we enjoyed home-cooked meals and lots of one-on-one interactions. A 7.2 tremor shook the airport terminal while we were waiting to board the return flight. Chileans took it in stride, and the plane departed on time. 

Joanne and Wayne Chambers of Albany, Ore., joined our group. Wayne is a “retired” hazelnut grower who has been involved with the breeding program for decades. Since their retirement, the Chambers have enjoyed international travel. Joanne rated this “best trip they’d ever been on,” in large part due to the quality of the interpersonal experiences. Richard and Leonie Smith, who “trained in Shawn’s boot camp” of long days, left the group early for some personal travel in Chile and later reported that they really missed the camaraderie of the group while they were on their own.— Dr. Shawn Mehlenbacher, Oregon State University

Hazelnuts Planted in Nebraska

Hazelnut planting has begun at the Nebraska Forest Service’s Horning Farm. Yesterday NFS staff and others planted about 550 hybrid seedlings grown from Oregon State seeds and 100 Americana plants grown from Rutgers seeds. Another 100+ Americana plants will go in the ground there today plus about 25 ‘Jefferson’ and ‘Yamhill’ cultivars from the International Agricultural Products Center at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. These hazelnut plants are being tested for heat and cold hardiness and eastern filbert blight resistance. 

Unlike planting day last year which had a heat index of 105 and gnats everywhere, yesterday’s weather was perfect. After the planting is finished, we’ll mulch, set up the plant protectors and install the deer fencing around the Americana plot. We also need to start plumbing for the drip irrigation system we hope to use this year. – Troy Pabst, forestry property manager, Nebraska Forest Service

Meet the Partners: Rutgers Research Focuses on EFB Resistance and Cold Hardiness

This hazelnut hybrid
developed at Rutgers
combines the high nut

quality of European
hazelnuts and the EFB
resistance of American

hazels.

Rutgers University began hazelnut research and  breeding in 1996, focusing on developing hazels resistant to eastern filbert blight (EFB) and adapted to northern climates with high yield and pest resistance. 

Dr. Tom Molnar has collected germplasm worldwide in this effort, along with Dr. Shawn Mehlenbacher from Oregon State. Sources have included Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and other eastern European locations plus Turkey, England, Spain, Italy, Germany, Finland and Poland.  

Close collaboration between Rutgers University and Oregon State has resulted in hazelnuts that are resistant to eastern filbert blight and that produce excellent quality nuts.  

Rutgers scientists also are developing a new line of ornamental hazelnuts, including plants with purple leaves and bright fall color, and others with contorted and weeping branches.   

Among the ornamental hazelnuts developed at
Rutgers is this beautiful purple leaf hybrid. 

Consortium Presents at Ontario
Hazelnut Conference

I represented the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium at the Annual Hazelnut Symposium in Brantford, Ontario, in late March and gave two presentations—Hazelnut R&D in the U.S. and Nontraditional Uses of Hazelnuts. I also toured the hazelnut research facilities and fields at the University of Guelph.  

There's a growing demand for hazelnuts in the area because Ferrero Rocher has a large (and expanding) plant in Brantford that produces hazelnut confections and Nutella.

Parts of southern Ontario (adjacent to Lake Erie) have a relatively mild climate that may favor large-scale hazelnut production using cultivars released by Oregon State University. It’s clear that given the rapidly growing markets for hazelnuts in North America and worldwide, there’s an acute need to expand the production zone beyond this narrow belt along the lake, and to create new hybrids that would be better adapted to the climate there and elsewhere.

The Consortium’s climatic adaption work through extensive breeding and testing efforts will provide cultivars to support commercial hazelnut production across eastern North America.

Other presenters at the conference included British Columbia hazelnut growers, the University of Guelph, Erie Innovation and Commercialization, the Ontario government and Ferrero Rocher Canada. —Dr. Scott Josiah, Director, Nebraska Forest Service, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Dr. Shawn Mehlenbacher (left) walked members of the Hybrid
Hazelnut Consortium through OSU hazelnut fields.

Meet the Partners: Oregon State is a Leader in Hazelnut Research

When members of the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium met in Corvallis, Ore., for the annual meeting, we were able to see first-hand the work being done by Oregon State University researchers and Oregon hazelnut growers.

Oregon State began hazelnut research in 1969, shortly after eastern filbert blight (EFB), a disease that kills European hazelnut plants, was discovered in Oregon. Dr. Shawn Mehlenbacher, professor of horticulture, works on developing EFB-resistant hazelnuts, microsatellite marker development and DNA markers for EFB resistance. His work also includes importing and evaluating hazelnut germplasm from around the world to increase the world's largest hazelnut germplasm collection.  

Oregon State plants about 4,000 seedlings annually on 65 acres at OSU's Smith Field Farm. After years of intense screening, the 4,000 plants are whittled down to 25-30 possibilities for the breeding program. The best trees are layered, banded and sent to the nursery for a year, then placed in a field trial. Nut data is taken in years 3-7.

For more information about Oregon State's hazelnut program, visit hort.oregonstate.edu/faculty-staff/mehlenbacher

Tours of Oregon hazelnut industry sites included visits to
hazelnut propagators, processors, and retailers (below).

          Spring Planting Season Has Begun

The greenhouse is coming alive on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln East Campus!

Hybrid seedlings grown from Oregon State and Rutgers seeds are being moved from the germination trays to one-gallon nursery cans this week. These seedlings were planted the week of March 5 and will be field tested at Horning Farm starting this fall and in spring 2013.

Older seedlings will be field planted at Horning this spring. More than 3,000 seedlings will be planted at Horning Farm for the next round of trials.  -- Troy Pabst, forestry properties manager, Nebraska Forest Service

  

Did You Know . . . ? 

→  Hazelnuts, or filberts, are the fifth most popular tree nut crop in the world behind cashews, almonds, walnuts and chestnuts. 

→  Commercial production is restricted to areas with climates moderated by large bodies of water. The Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium is working to produce cold-hardy, heat-tolerant hybrids, which will expand the growing area.

→  The U.S. produces about 4% of the world crop behind Turkey (70%) and Italy (18%). 

→  99% of the U.S. crop is grown in Oregon's Willamette Valley. 

→  Hazelnuts naturally grow as a large bush, but are pruned to a single trunk in the U.S. to facilitate mechanical harvesting.

→  Hazelnuts are sold in the shell (5-10% of the world crop) or as kernels, and are used in candies and other products, like Nutella, a blend of chocolate and hazelnut.

→  Nutella was created in the 1940s by Pietro Ferrero, a pastry maker in Italy, where cocoa was in short supply due to World War II rationing. Ferrero Inc. also produces Ferrero Roche and other confections. 

→  Ferrero also makes Tic Tacs. 

→  A 2007 study showed that hazelnut shells and leaves contain taxanes, which are used to produce Taxol, a cancer-fighting drug.

→  The Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium is looking at other uses for hazelnut byproducts as well, including using shells for high-protein animal feed and oil for biofuel. Our analysis shows that hazelnuts can produce twice the amount of oil per acre as soybeans.