RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ABOVE AND UNDERGROUND PARTS OF THE HAZELNUT VARIETY ´TONDA DI GIFFONI´

This work attempts to relate the aerial part of hazelnut trees Corylus avellanae variety ‘Tonda Di Giffoni’ with its root system. The soils where the hazelnut trees grow are generally not deep, so the root system is usually poorly developed. There is limited literature on this subject. Our study showed that layers of 40-60 cm had lower values of root density compared with others, although their values were not significantly different from those obtained in the 20-40 cm layer. Therefore we believe that in the future it will be possible to improve the root system of hazelnut trees by applying better management techniques to the soil. A better root system must increase the leaf area and consequently hazelnut production.