Controlled-Cross Selected Hybrid Hazelnut (single)

Description

These amazing hybrid hazelnut seedlings come from a renowned research program in Zone 4 Wisconsin. They’ve been bred for high blight-resistance, no spray growing conditions, early baring, good nut size, good cracking ability, as well as exceptional hardiness.

The difference between Controlled-Cross and Selected Hazels is described below.

Mark Shepard’s outstanding book Restoration Agriculture has made his nut tree breeding program famous. We are the exclusive Ontario importer of Mark’s stock.

Details from Mark’s website:

Mark Shepard’s outstanding book Restoration Agriculture has made his nut tree breeding program famous. We are the exclusive Ontario importer of Mark’s stock from his business Forest Agriculture Enterprises.

Here’s the description from his website:

Since the 1990’s, Forest Agriculture Enterprises LLC in collaboration with the University of MN St Paul, the Universities of WI Steven’s Point & Madison, an UW Extension, has been pioneering vegetative propagation of specific cultivars of hybrid hazelnut. Although early efforts proved to not be economically viable at the time for producing clonal cultivars for farmers, they were successful enough to establish isolated breeding nurseries for the production of controlled cross seedlings. In the earliest variety trials, seedlings from one parent proved to not produce at a young enough age. Seedlings from the second parent plant began to bear within two years. The initial nursery was slowly expanded for several years until it reached its current size. Seven other controlled cross nurseries have been established in several different states.

Seedlings from the first controlled cross were put into variety trials beginning in 2012 and were released publicly for the first time in 2017!

80% of the Controlled cross seedlings have flowered within the first year from planting and they have born crops more consistently across the population than selected seedlings. They exist in areas of heavy Eastern Filbert Blight presence and show no signs of susceptibility. Since these plants have only been out in the landscape for 6 years, their long-term average per-plant yields are not yet known. Most notable for the controlled cross seedlings is that they have demonstrated a dramatically shortened and consistent harvest window which is extremely important, especially for mechanical harvest.  Harvest begins in Mid-August in southwestern Wisconsin.

UW Extension, U IL Champaign and the Savanna Institute are all involved with data collection on the first out plantings of this material.

We recommend planting at least 1 Selected Seedling Hybrid Hazelnuts per 5 Controlled Cross Selected Seedlings in order to ensure adequate pollination.

Note: The difference between Selected and Controlled-Cross Selected Hazelnuts in a nutshell is that the Controlled-Cross Selected have are a second generation of selection, and therefore even more reliably showing the traits outlined below.

Also available in bundles of 25.

See also Selected Seedling Hazelnuts.

Latin Name: Corylus spp. hybrids
Size at Maturity: 8′-15′
USDA Zone: Zone 4
Pollination Requirements: At least two are needed to produce nuts.
Size of Plant or Sale: Bareroot 12-18″