THE TRANSFERRING OF TRADITIONAL CULTIVAR´S CHESTNUT SCIONS TO COMMERCIAL NURSERIES

Chestnut is an emblematic tree in Galicia, it has been for centuries the dietary basis in this region. There is a long culture and tradition on chestnut cultivation and therefore many cultivars and peculiar cultivation methods are found. CIFA Lourizán began during the eighties a research line considering the inventory, genetic and phenotypical in situ characterization and finally conservation in two collections in order to produce and preserve the traditional cultivars. Nowadays the ex situ phenotypic characterization is being achieved. Furthermore traditional chestnut scions from collection are being transferred to nurseries in order to create coppice stands. In spite of the rich culture and diverse germplasm existent, their promotion in new plantations was forgotten during the last decades. Nowadays nurseries and landowners are interested in the promotion of traditional cultivars. Transferring traditional cultivar’s chestnut scions is the way to close the circle broken by the socio-economic changes that occurred during the last fifty years. It is a way to offer a new opportunity to the chestnut tree in a new productive frame and not to lose the best adapted genotypes achieved after careful breeding along centuries.