OSU 541.147 is a new hybrid hazelnut (Corylus) cultivar for eastern North America. It was released by the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium in Apr 2020 for its resistance to eastern filbert blight (EFB) caused by the fungus Anisogramma anomala, suitability to the kernel market, and superiority in nut yield and kernel quality when compared with hybrid hazelnut seedling populations. It was selected and initially evaluated at Oregon State University with additional testing at Rutgers University in New Jersey. In Oregon, trees are upright, susceptible to bud mites, and suited to the kernel market. In New Jersey, plants are vigorous, upright, and productive, and its catkins show superior cold hardiness to European cultivars. OSU 541.147 will be marketed under the trademarked name “The Beast,” a name chosen to reflect its vigor, productivity, and EFB resistance in New Jersey.
Origin and Evaluation
OSU 541.147 resulted from a cross of NY 616 × OSU 226.118 (Fig. 1) made in 1990 by Shawn A. Mehlenbacher and David C. Smith. The female parent, labeled NY 110, was the first tree in row M in a plot of cultivars and selections. The appearance of its stems, husks, and nuts indicated that it was a hybrid between the American hazelnut, Corylus americana, and the European hazelnut, Corylus avellana. Although the tree was labeled NY 110, the nuts were rounder than those of the same selection in the field collection of the US Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service National Clonal Germplasm Repository (USDA-ARS-NCGR) in Corvallis, OR. Comparison of allele sizes at simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker loci for OSU 541.147 and the hybrid hazelnut accessions in the NCGR collection indicated that the female parent was NY 616, from a cross of C. americana ‘Rush’ × C. avellana ‘Barcelona’, selected by George L. Slate at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY (Slate 1947, 1963). In 2016, NY 616 was given the name ‘Slate’ by Grimo Nut Nursery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. ‘Rush’ is a selection from southeastern Pennsylvania that was used as a female parent in breeding starting in 1919 by J.F. Jones, in Lancaster, PA, and later by Clarence A. Reed of the USDA in Washington, DC, as reviewed by Molnar (2011). ‘Barcelona’ was widely grown for its large nuts in Oregon for decades, but those orchards have declined due to EFB and many have been removed. ‘Barcelona’ originated as the minor cultivar ‘Castanyera’ in northeastern Spain and continues to be important in France where it is known as ‘Fertile de Coutard’.
Pedigree of OSU 541.147 hazelnut. The female parents are on top.
Citation: HortScience 58, 3; 10.21273/HORTSCI16987-22
In the sporophytic incompatibility system of hazelnut, incompatibility is controlled by a single locus (the S-locus) at which 33 alleles have been identified to date. The alleles are identified using fluorescence microscopy (Mehlenbacher 1997). In cultivars and selections, both alleles are expressed by the stigmas and one or two alleles are expressed by the pollen according to their position in the dominance hierarchy (Mehlenbacher 2014). The allele(s) expressed by the pollen are indicated by underlining the number. NY 616 has alleles S1 and S23 and OSU 541.147 has alleles S8 and S23. Branches of the female parent, NY 616, were emasculated and bagged in Dec 1989. A mixture of pollens of three selections whose incompatibility alleles were known was used for the controlled pollinations: OSU 55.129 (S2 S4), OSU 167.002 (S3 S10), and OSU 226.118 (S1 S8). The pollen parent was identified as OSU 226.118 based on the presence of S8 in OSU 541.147. OSU 226.118 is from a cross of ‘Tombul Ghiaghli’ × OSU 42.103. ‘Tombul Ghiaghli’ is a Turkish type obtained from Greece, and OSU 42.103 is from a cross of ‘Montebello’ from Sicily and ‘Compton’, a grower selection from Oregon.
Hybrid seeds from the controlled cross were harvested in Aug 1990, moist stratified at 5 °C for 3 to 5 months, and the resulting seedlings grown in a glasshouse during the summer of 1991. From this cross, 125 seedlings were planted in the field in Oct 1991 at the Smith Horticulture Research Farm in Corvallis, OR (USDA Hardiness Zone 8a). The designation OSU 541.147 indicates the row and tree location of the original seedling. Nuts were first observed on the original seedling in Sep 1995 and the bush was marked for harvest. It had a heavy crop of nuts that were small to medium in size with a slightly long shape, a husk that was 75% longer than the nuts, and an average of three nuts per cluster. Nuts were harvested from the original seedling tree in each of 4 years (1995–98) and evaluated. OSU 541.147 was propagated by tie-off layerage of the suckers in the summer beginning in 1997. In December, the layers were harvested and rated for rooting quality (good, fair, poor, or no roots) and caliper (small, medium, or large). Rooting was sparse on the layers from 1997, but in subsequent years the layers were generally well-rooted and medium to large in caliper.
The rooted layers from the 1998 propagation were lined out in a nursery row the year after layerage (1999), and two trees were included for observation in a trial planted in Spring 2000. Both trees were later removed due to high ratings for bud mite (primarily Phytoptus avellanae) and inferiority of its nuts to those of Corylus avellana selections. Layers rooted in 1999 were lined out in a nursery row in 2000 and planted in a trial with eight blocks in 2001. At this time, trees were also sent to Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ) for evaluation. Layers rooted in 2012 were lined out in a nursery row in 2013 and the trees planted in a second trial with four blocks in Mar 2014. All OSU trials were located at the Smith Horticulture Research Farm in Corvallis. The 2001 and 2014 plantings were randomized complete block designs with a single tree of each genotype in each block. ‘Barcelona’, ‘Clark’, and ‘Lewis’ were checks in the 2001 planting, and EFB-resistant ‘Jefferson’, ‘McDonald’, and ‘Wepster’ were checks in the 2014 planting. All trials included additional selections and all trees were self-rooted. The susceptible checks ‘Barcelona’ and ‘Clark’ were planted in two rows adjacent to the 2014 trial on the same date.
Description in Oregon
OSU 541.147 hazelnut is described based on the replicated trials planted in Corvallis in 2001 and 2014 (Tables 1–3). In both trials, the trees had an upright growth habit (Fig. 2) and vigor similar to other C. avellana selections. In the 2001 trial, the trees produced a few nuts in 2003 and more nuts in subsequent years. The nuts are borne in clusters of three to four in husks ∼60% longer than the nuts (Fig. 3). The nuts are slightly long, but the shape is commercially acceptable (Fig. 4). Nuts were harvested, dried, weighed, and evaluated. Total nut yield and yield efficiency (Table 1) were calculated from 5 years of harvest (2003–07) in the first trial and 4 years (2017–20) in the second trial. Nut weight, kernel percentage, blanching (pellicle removal), and frequency of nut and kernel defects were based on 4 years of data in both trials (years 4–7) because nut yield was limited in the third year. In the first trial, total weight of dry in-shell nuts per tree (2003–07) was 14.07 kg for OSU 541.147, which is less than for the checks ‘Barcelona’, ‘Clark’, and ‘Lewis’ (Table 1). Trunk cross-sectional area (TCA) was 70.9 cm2, which is less than ‘Barcelona’ (105.7 cm2) and nearly the same as ‘Clark’ and ‘Lewis’. Yield efficiency, the ratio of total yield to TCA, was 0.199 kg·cm−2 for OSU 541.147, which was higher than ‘Barcelona’ but lower than ‘Clark’ and ‘Lewis’. In the 2014 trial, OSU 541.147 trees produced a few nuts in 2016 but were not harvested. Nuts were harvested for 4 years (2017–20), dried, weighed, and evaluated. Total weight of dry in-shell nuts per tree (2017–20) was 11.67 kg for OSU 541.147, which is less than for the checks ‘Jefferson’, ‘McDonald’, and ‘Wepster’ (Table 1). TCA was 71.1 cm2, the same as ‘Jefferson’ and slightly less than ‘McDonald’ and ‘Wepster’. The average TCA of ‘Jefferson’ in various trials is ∼70% of the industry standard ‘Barcelona’. Yield efficiency for OSU 541.147 was 0.165 kg·cm−2 and lower than the three checks.
Tree of OSU 541.147 hazelnut in Corvallis, OR, in Jul 2020 when in its seventh leaf. The wooden pole is 3.05 m tall.
Citation: HortScience 58, 3; 10.21273/HORTSCI16987-22
Immature nut clusters of ‘Yamhill’, OSU 541.147, and ‘Barcelona’ hazelnuts.
Citation: HortScience 58, 3; 10.21273/HORTSCI16987-22
Nuts (top), raw kernels (middle), and blanched kernels (bottom) of hazelnuts ‘Yamhill’, OSU 541.147, and ‘Barcelona’.
Citation: HortScience 58, 3; 10.21273/HORTSCI16987-22
Nut yield, trunk cross-sectional area (TCA), and yield efficiency of OSU 541.147 in comparison with other hazelnut cultivars and selections in two trials in Corvallis, OR. Nuts were harvested in years 3 to 7 after planting in the first trial and years 4 to 7 in the second trial.
Nut and kernel weight, kernel percentage, and ratings for fiber, blanching, and bud mite susceptibility for OSU 541.147 and other hazelnut cultivars and selections in two trials planted in Corvallis, OR.
Frequency of good nuts and of seven types of nut and kernel defects in OSU 541.147 and other hazelnut cultivars and selections in two trials planted in Corvallis, OR.
In the 2001 trial, the kernel weight of OSU 541.147 (1.00 g) was similar to ‘Clark’, a size desired by the kernel market (Table 2) in which the standard is set by the small, round kernels of ‘Tombul’ from Turkey. Field-run nuts were 43.2% kernel by weight, which is slightly higher than ‘Barcelona’ (40.2%). The amount of pellicle removal (blanching rating) following roasting with dry heat and rubbing was rated on a scale of 1 (complete pellicle removal) to 7 (no pellicle removal). Approximately half of the pellicle was removed by blanching (rating = 4.3), similar to ‘Barcelona’ and ‘Lewis’. The frequency of good kernels (93.4%) was very high (Table 3). The most common defect was blanks (shells lacking kernels) at 4.6%. The percentages of each of the other types of defects were <1%. In the 2014 trial, the kernel weight of OSU 541.147 (1.17 g) was similar to ‘Wepster’. Well-filled nuts were 44.3% kernel by weight, which is slightly higher than ‘Barcelona’ (42.2%) in rows adjacent to the trial. The raw kernels were rated for amount of fiber on the pellicle on a scale of 1 (no fiber) to 4 (heavy fiber). Kernels of OSU 541.147 have a heavy coating of fiber (rating = 3.8). The pellicle removal (blanching) rating was intermediate (4.5). The frequency of good kernels (86.8%) was similar to ‘McDonald’. OSU 541.147 had fewer poorly filled nuts than ‘Jefferson’ or ‘Wepster’. The most common defect was blanks at 8.3%. The percentages of each of the other types of defects was <2%. Nut drop for OSU 541.147 is a few days later than ‘Jefferson’ and ‘Barcelona’. When the nuts in the 2014 trial were harvested by hand in late September and early October, the nut shells were brown, but ∼20% remained in their husks in the tree. Of the nuts on the ground, ∼85% fell free of the husk, similar to ‘Jefferson’.
Pest and Disease Resistance in Oregon
The incidence of blasted buds due to bud mites (primarily Phytoptus avellanae) was rated in the 2014 trial in December in 4 years (2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020) on a scale of 1 (no blasted buds) to 5 (many blasted buds). The average rating (3.4) for OSU 541.147 was higher than for all other entries in the trial (Table 2) and higher than the moderately susceptible ‘Clark’ trees (rating = 2.9) in adjacent rows. Chemical control of bud mites will likely be needed in some years in Oregon orchards. OSU 541.147 is highly resistant to EFB based on field exposure in Corvallis, OR, where no cankers have been observed. The EFB resistance is from C. americana ‘Rush’, which carries a dominant allele for resistance on linkage group 7 (Bhattarai et al. 2017). NY 616 and several other New York selections have been planted and evaluated widely in the eastern states and Ontario, Canada, since the 1940s and cankers have never been observed (Slate 1947, 1963; Molnar TJ, unpublished data).
Phenology and Pollen Germination in Oregon
Notes were recorded annually in the 2014 trial at weekly intervals on time of pollen shed, female receptivity, and leaf budbreak from early December to late March. On average, OSU 541.147 shed pollen between ‘Wepster’ and ‘PollyO’. The females reached the “red dot” stage (when styles first emerge) and became receptive on 15 Jan and they remained receptive until 15 Feb. Female receptivity of OSU 541.147 spans a shorter time within the receptivity time of ‘Wepster’ and ‘PollyO’, the latter growing in rows adjacent to the trial. Leaf budbreak with ‘PollyO’ is 1 d before ‘McDonald’ and 4 d before ‘Wepster’. Pollen has been collected and used in controlled pollinations, and both quantity and viability appear to be very good. On two dates in 2019, pollen germination of OSU 541.147 was 92% and 59%, in contrast to the low germination (21%) of ‘Barcelona’.
Performance in New Jersey
Trees of OSU 541.147 were first planted in 2001 in the research plots at Rutgers University (East Brunswick, NJ) where the EFB pressure has been very high and resistance from ‘Gasaway’ is no longer effective. Additional trees were planted at the Rutgers Specialty Crop Research and Extension Center in Cream Ridge that same year. The original trees continue to thrive after 21 years (Figs. 5 and 6), and trees in both NJ locations have remained vigorous, regularly produce a good crop of nuts, and are free of bud mite. Even on sandy soils with no irrigation and limited fertilizer inputs, the trees have been vigorous and productive. They produce fewer suckers than other cultivars and selections (data not shown).
Tree of OSU 541.147 hazelnut in East Brunswick, NJ, in Aug 2022 when in its 19th leaf.
Citation: HortScience 58, 3; 10.21273/HORTSCI16987-22
Nut cluster and mature nut of OSU 541.147 hazelnut in East Brunswick, NJ.
Citation: HortScience 58, 3; 10.21273/HORTSCI16987-22
In 2003 and 2004, potted trees of trees OSU 541.147 were challenged in the greenhouse with 12 isolates of the EFB fungus, but no cankers developed (Molnar et al. 2010). Multiple isolates were used because SSR markers indicate high genetic diversity among EFB samples collected in the eastern United States, but little diversity among isolates collected in Oregon (Muehlbauer et al. 2019; Tobia et al. 2017). Trees have remained free of EFB in longer term field trials (Capik and Molnar 2012; Molnar TJ and Capik JM, unpublished data).
In contrast to Oregon, phenology notes in New Jersey (Capik and Molnar 2014) indicate that OSU 541.147 is protogynous, with females receptive before pollen is shed. OSU 541.147 sheds pollen ∼1 week later than ‘Jefferson’ and 10 d later than ‘Yamhill’. Female receptivity is in midseason with full receptivity in mid-February, overlapping the second half of ‘Yamhill’ and the first half of ‘Jefferson’ bloom. Pollinizers for OSU 541.147 in New Jersey should shed pollen in midseason and late midseason and not express S8 or S23, as these would be incompatible. The female receptivity of OSU 541.147 occurs when pollen is shed by ‘Somerset’ (S3 S10), ‘Raritan’ (S3S22), ‘Monmouth’ (S1 S12), and ‘Hunterdon’ (S1 S3), and pollen of all of these is compatible. In areas with cold and fluctuating temperatures during bloom, which can cause a lot of catkin damage, hybrid hazelnut (C. americana × C. avellana) seedlings could serve as pollinizers for OSU 541.147. In New Jersey and adjacent areas in the mid-Atlantic region, OSU 541.147 is recommended as a pollinizer for ‘Somerset’, ‘Raritan’, ‘Monmouth’, and ‘Hunterdon’; its pollen is compatible on all four and is shed at the correct time. Its catkins are more cold-hardy than those of pure C. avellana, and even when catkins are damaged, some pollen is released. Leaf budbreak is 4 d later than ‘Yamhill’ and 7 d earlier than ‘Jefferson’.
Distribution for Evaluation in Other Locations
Performance data are not yet available from eastern Nebraska, the Great Plains, Midwest, and parts of the northeast where winter cold is a concern. In 2017 and 2018, the Nebraska Forest Service distributed trees of OSU 541.147 and ‘Grand Traverse’ for trials in six states (Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) to determine suitable sites in the Midwest/Great Plains. The Upper Midwest Hazelnut Development Initiative is assisting with trials in the last three states. Additional plants were distributed in 2020 and 2021 to six more states (Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ohio, West Virginia). Rutgers University helped establish trials in cold regions of New York and Vermont.
Trees are being distributed by Rutgers University to test sites in the mid-Atlantic region. Management of EFB remains a challenge in the eastern United States (Capik and Molnar 2012; Molnar et al. 2010). The planting of cultivars with different sources of EFB resistance may reduce selection pressure on the pathogen to develop new races. The resistance of OSU 541.147 is from C. americana ‘Rush’, the resistance of ‘Somerset’ is from ‘Ratoli’, and the resistance in ‘Raritan’, ‘Monmouth’, and ‘Hunterdon’ is quantitative from ‘Tonda di Giffoni’ and/or ‘Sacajawea’.
OSU 541.147 is being released for eastern North America to allow hazelnut production where EFB and climatic conditions are major obstacles. In many eastern locations, seedling populations of American × European hybrids have been planted, most of which trace to the hybrid hazelnuts of Weschcke (1954) with continued work by Rutter (Molnar 2011). Each seedling is a unique genotype, and most are inferior to the clonal selection OSU 541.147 (see Braun et al. 2019). It is unlikely that OSU 541.147 will be planted in Oregon’s Willamette Valley where superior and well-adapted C. avellana cultivars (e.g., ‘Jefferson’, ‘Yamhill’, ‘Wepster’, ‘McDonald’, and ‘PollyO’) have been planted. However, OSU 541.147 may have value in colder areas of the Pacific Northwestern United States, such as the Columbia Basin (eastern Washington and Hermiston, OR). OSU 541.147 may also be well-adapted to northern Europe, Ukraine, and other areas where temperatures are colder than ideal for pure European hazelnut.
Availability
OSU 541.147 was jointly released by the four institutions of the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium in Apr 2020. U.S. Plant Patent No. 33561 was published for OSU 541.147 hazelnut on 19 Oct 2021, and Rutgers University is leading commercialization efforts. Royalty income will be shared by the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium members. Trees are being sold under the name “The Beast” for which a registered trademark will be sought. “The Beast” reflects its vigor, productivity, and absence of EFB in New Jersey. OSU 541.147 is being micropropagated by North American Plants in Lafayette, OR. Licensed nurseries, from whom trees may be purchased, include Foggy Bottom Nursery (Columbus, NJ), Great Plains Nursery (Weston, NE), and Z’s Nutty Ridge (McGraw, NY). Licensing in the United States is nonexclusive, and others are welcome to apply. Nurseries interested in obtaining a license should contact Deborah Perez in the research office at Rutgers University.
References Cited
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Braun, LC, Demchik, MC, Fischbach, JA, Turnquist, K & Kern, A. 2019 Yield, quality and genetic diversity of hybrid hazelnut selections in the Upper Midwest of the USA Agrofor Syst. 93 1081 1091 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-018-0209-7
Capik, JM & Molnar, TJ. 2012 Assessment of host (Corylus sp.) resistance to eastern filbert blight in New Jersey J Am Soc Hortic Sci. 137 3 157 172 https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS.137.3.157
Capik, JM & Molnar, TJ. 2014 Flowering phenology of eastern filbert blight-resistant hazelnut accessions in New Jersey HortTechnology. 24 2 196 208 https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH.24.2.196
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Mehlenbacher, SA. 2014 Geographic distribution of incompatibility alleles in cultivars and selections of European hazelnut J Am Soc Hortic Sci. 139 2 191 212 https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS.139.2.191
Molnar, TJ. 2011 Corylus 15 48 Kole, C Wild crop relatives: Genomic and breeding resources. Springer Berlin, Heidelberg https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21250-5_2
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Muehlbauer, MF, Tobia, J, Honig, JA, Zhang, N, Hillman, BI, Morey Gold, K & Molnar, TJ. 2019 Population differentiation within Anisogramma anomala in North America Phytopathology. 109 1074 1082 https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-06-18-0209-R
Slate, GL. 1947 Some results with filbert breeding at Geneva, New York Ann Rept Northern Nut Growers Assn. 38 94 100
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Tobia, J, Muehlbauer, M, Honig, J, Pscheidt, J & Molnar, TJ. 2017 Cluster analysis of Anisogramma anomala isolates collected from the Pacific Northwest and New Jersey (abstr.) Phytopathology. 107 S5.125 https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-107-12-S5.125
Weschcke, C. 1954 Chapter 4 Hazels and filberts 24 31 Chapter 5 Hazels and/or filberts 32 38 Weschske, C. Growing nuts in the north. Webb Publishing St. Paul, MN