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“Manvert Foliplus” is an organic compound that stimulates bud burst, flowering and growth of plants and fruits. It is composed of amino acids, reducing sugars and phytohormones from seaweed extract. BIOVERT and IRTA have jointly conducted a trial over two years (2015 and 2016), to assess the efficacy of this biostimulant in fruit set and production of two hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) cultivars ‘Negret’ and ‘Tonda di Giffoni’ in both, a comparative trial in IRTA-Mas de Bover field station and in two commercial orchards. The product was applied by foliar spraying in different periods: from the fruit set time to the kernel growth stage (covering a period of 40 days). Different treatments were tested: application at fruit set time, fruit set + 10 days, fruit set + 10 days + 20 days, fruit set + 10 days + 20 days + 40 days and control. Total applied dose was 2 L ha(-1) spray-1. Fallen blank fruits, production and nut quality (nut weight, kernel weight, size >12 mm, and defects) were evaluated for each treatment, in both cultivars. A positive effect of Manvert Foliplus in hazelnut production was observed in the two cultivars in 2015, for some treatments, and only in ‘Tonda di Giffoni’ in 2016. In 2015, a lower number of fallen blank fruits was observed in ‘Tonda di Giffoni’ trees treated with this biostimulant. No significant differences were found in nut quality among treatments for both cultivars, in any of the two years of the trial.

Self-fertility in almond is one of the main aims in the Spanish breeding programs. However, productivity depends not only on the level of self-fertility but also in other factors such as the number of flowers produced, on the percentage of fruit set and on the fruit weight. These yield components are genotype-dependent and are influenced by climatic and management conditions. The almond tree like other fruit trees shows a regulation effect of the productive load that can occur with flower drops and can continue with fruit drops, to be able to reach a good balance between crop load and vegetative growth. In this work, the pattern of the physiological flower and fruit drops in different almond cultivars was evaluated. The work was carried out in a plot in Lleida (Northeastern Spain) set in a randomized blocks trial (4 replicates of each cultivar and 4 trees replicate-1). The number and the evolution of flowers and fruits were assessed every 15 days, from pink bud to nut harvest. The evaluation was carried out in two shoots per replication and using four blocks for each cultivar. The results of one year study (2016) showed two different flower and fruit drop patterns which are modulated according to cultivar and their phenological evolution. The cultivar patterns differ considering the productive organ that drops, the time when the drops occur and the severity of the drops.

Self and cross-pollination in two almond (Prunus dulcis Mill.) orchards was observed during two consecutive years, 2006 and 2007. One orchard having the self-compatible cultivar ‘Francoli’ as the main cultivar and ‘Glorieta’ and ‘Masbovera’ as pollinators, and the second, the self-compatible cultivar ‘Guara’, with ‘Ferraduel’ and ‘Masbovera’ as pollinators. One tree of ‘Francoli’ and one from ‘Guara’ were selected in each orchard. On each tree, two branches, one close to the pollinators and the other at the opposite side, were chosen. Bee hives were not placed in the orchards. Two hundred fruits were collected both years from each branch, and put to germinate. The male genitor of each seedling was determined by molecular markers (isozymes and SSRs). During the two years of the study, more almonds coming from self-pollination (77% from ‘Francoli’ and 67% from ‘Guara’ in 2006; 96% from ‘Francoli’ and 77% from ‘Guara’ in 2007) than from cross pollination were obtained. Differences were more evident in 2007, when the blooming period of the pollinators presented a lag respect blooming time of ‘Francoli’ and ‘Guara’, respectively. Nuts coming from cross pollination were detected in branches far away from pollinators, indicating that even without hives in the orchards; there are natural populations of bees during the flowering season.

Walnut propagation is one of the limitations to expanding the crop of this species. The production of grafted material is expensive and needs time. This situation seems to be changing, nowadays it is possible to get self-rooted material, in vitro, of the most important cultivars. However, information on the performance of these materials in orchards is not well known. In order to evaluate walnut production according the origin of the material (self-rooted or grafted), in February 1999, two trials were planted, one with 'Chander' cv. and the other with 'Vina' cv. in Gimenells, Lleida (North-West Spain). Both cultivars showed a different behaviour in growth between self rooted and grafted. 'Vina' cv. did not show any differences during the juvenile period, however, after the 8 th leaf self-rooted material showed higher values. 'Chandler' cv. presented differences during the juvenile period, grafted material having better growth, although the difference disappeared at the 8 th leaf. Important differences were observed in the phenology. The leafing out date of in vitro material was late in both cultivars; ranging from three to nine days. This gap was present also in flowering and harvest time. The different rootstock caused the male flower presence to appear some years earlier than for self-rooted material. In the first 3 harvest years, tree production of grafted plants exceeded the production of in vitro plants in both cultivars. From the 4 th production year (8 th leaf) the harvest of both material types was similar in `Chandler' and 'Vina' cvs.

Persian walnut cultivars increase their productivity using less structured training systems. Six lateral bearing commercial cultivars, 'Chandler', 'Ferjean', 'Fernor', 'Howard', 'Lara' and 'Vina' have been evaluated trained under free (FL) and semi-structured (SSL) central leader systems. The orchard trial has been controlled from planting, 1999, to 2008 harvest. Data of growth and production were recorded on ten trees per cultivars and the training system distributed across five blocks. At the sixth leaf, training was finished (2004). At the end of this juvenile period, at 7 th leaf, the cultivar growth ranking was as expected. 'Chandler', 'Fernor' and 'Vina' showed medium vigour and 'Ferjean', 'Howard' and 'Lara' low vigour. At this age, all the trees were at least 7 m high for any cultivar and training. During the training period the wood pruned weight was up to 50% higher in SSL. Cultivars with upright or spreading growth habits needed more pruning. 'Howard' was the most easily trained, while 'Vina' and `Fernor' were the hardest. The production still favours FL at 8 years. Nuts showed a good size, at least 11 g, in all cultivars and training evaluated. However, it is clearly difficult to maintain enough light in the canopy in the adult phase in some cultivars like 'Lara' or 'Vina'. Orchards of those cultivars need more pruning to maintain marketable nut size.

6th International Congress on Hazelnut -- JUN 14-18, 2004 -- Tarragona Reus, SPAIN Ozman-Sullivan, Sebahat/0000-0001-5240-8110; Kazmierski, Andrzej/0000-0003-0189-3229 WOS: 000233635700055 Between 1991 and 1999, mites were surveyed in hazelnut orchards in Turkey. Plant samples, were collected and examined. Samples of leaf litter were also collected from orchards and beneath surrounding hedge plants during winter. Fourteen mite species from 6 families and 2 cohorts, namely Bimichaelia grandis Berlese, Lorryia livshitzi (Kuznetzov), Lorryia obnoxia (Kuznetzov et Zapletina), Lorryia paraobliqua Panou et Emmanouel, Tydeus kochi Oudemans, Tydeus linaroeatus (Schiess), Micro-tydeus beltrani Baker, Homeopronematus staerki (Schruft), Triophtydeus immanis Kuznetzov, Triophtydeus triophthalmus (Oudemans), Cyta grandjeani Gomelauri, Biscirus silvaticus (Kramer), Cunaxoides biscutum Baker et Hoffman, Cunaxoides parvus (Ewing) were identified in this study. Eleven species were reported for the first time in Turkey.