HAZELNUT TRAINING SYSTEMS : COMPARISON BETWEEN THREE SYSTEMS USED ON THREE VARIETIES
The results obtained after eleven years of trials indicate that the individual trees paired in V shape hedge had much lower trunk cross sections than individually trained trees, particularly for Ennis which is the least vigourous variety. Yields per hectare were not significantly different, except for the V shape hedge which had higher yields in the first years after planting, especially for the Segorbe V shape hedge which is still producing slightly higher yields. Few differences were observed in nut weight, kernel weight and kernel ratio between the different training systems studied, for all three varieties. However, the nuts of trees trained in V shape hedge were slightly smaller and the percentages of kernel were significantly lower in the case of the open center vase system, for all three cultivars studied.
The constant growth of water sprouts observed in the V hedge, on one hand, and the difficulty in maintaining the initial structure of the axis system, on the other hand, made us choose the open center vase of the best performing training system, considering its lower setting up cost and easy maintenance.
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.445.33
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.445.33