ISHS Acta Horticulturae 494: II International Symposium on Chestnut
CHESTNUT PRODUCTION AND CHESTNUT RESEARCH IN NEW ZEALAND |
| Authors: | D. Klinac, R. Seelye, R. Knowles, H. Nguyen |
| Keywords: | Castanea, cultivars, pollination, Phomopsis, handling, storage, processing |
| Abstract:
Chestnuts (Castanea sp.) are a relatively new commercial crop in New Zealand. Production is expanding rapidly, however, with most of the current crop being exported. Most of the chestnuts grown are C. crenata x C. sativa hybrids, which grow well under New Zealand conditions. New Zealand is free of chestnut blight, gall wasp and most other serious chestnut pests and diseases. There are, however, problems with Phytophthora root rot and fungal storage rots such as Phomopsis sp. Much research is devoted to overcoming these problems. Other key industry and research concerns are cultivar evaluation and plant improvement; rootstock incompatibility; pollination; and processing. New Zealand's high degree of dependence on exports, and its geographic isolation from other markets also makes long-term storage of chestnuts a high priority. New techniques have been developed for the control of both Phytophthora and Phomopsis. A flotation grading technique has been developed to separate healthy nuts from those with internal rots. A mechanical process has been developed to remove the shell from intact chestnuts, and an associated chemical process to then remove the remaining pellicle. Improved storage, packaging and handling techniques are also under development. | |
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