CHESTNUT (CASTANEA Spp.) CULTIVAR EVALUATION for COMMERCIAL CHESTNUT PRODUCTION
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CHESTNUT (CASTANEA spp.) CULTIVAR EVALUATION FOR COMMERCIAL CHESTNUT PRODUCTION IN HAMILTON COUNTY, TENNESSEE By Ana Maria Metaxas Approved: James Hill Craddock Jennifer Boyd Professor of Biological Sciences Assistant Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences (Director of Thesis) (Committee Member) Gregory Reighard Jeffery Elwell Professor of Horticulture Dean, College of Arts and Sciences (Committee Member) A. Jerald Ainsworth Dean of the Graduate School CHESTNUT (CASTANEA spp.) CULTIVAR EVALUATION FOR COMMERCIAL CHESTNUT PRODUCTION IN HAMILTON COUNTY, TENNESSEE by Ana Maria Metaxas A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Environmental Science May 2013 ii ABSTRACT Chestnut cultivars were evaluated for their commercial applicability under the environmental conditions in Hamilton County, TN at 35°13ꞌ 45ꞌꞌ N 85° 00ꞌ 03.97ꞌꞌ W elevation 230 meters. In 2003 and 2004, 534 trees were planted, representing 64 different cultivars, varieties, and species. Twenty trees from each of 20 different cultivars were planted as five-tree plots in a randomized complete block design in four blocks of 100 trees each, amounting to 400 trees. The remaining 44 chestnut cultivars, varieties, and species served as a germplasm collection. These were planted in guard rows surrounding the four blocks in completely randomized, single-tree plots. In the analysis, we investigated our collection predominantly with the aim to: 1) discover the degree of acclimation of grower- recommended cultivars to southeastern Tennessee climatic conditions and 2) ascertain the cultivars’ ability to survive in the area with Cryphonectria parasitica and other chestnut diseases and pests present. We hypothesized that some cultivars would perform well and could therefore be recommended to potential growers. Cultivars were primarily judged based on mean nut mass and total nut yield. Based on our results, recommendations for chestnut cultivars in Tennessee include ‘Gideon’, ‘Nanking’, ‘Shing’, ‘Qing’, ‘Eaton’, ‘Eaton River’, and ‘Payne’, which show promise in being generally abundant producers that also yield profitably sized nuts. Unlikely candidates based on mean nut mass and survivorship are ‘Ford’s Sweet’, ‘Little Giant’, ‘Heritage’, ‘Byron’, ‘Colossal’, and ‘Ford’s Tall’. iii DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this thesis to my parents, Robert and Joyce Bundy, and to all chestnut researchers who have committed much time and effort for a better understanding of this worthy tree. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Lack of space prevents me from expressing my sincere gratitude to all of the people without whose assistance this thesis could not have been completed. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. James Hill Craddock for his patient guidance throughout the completion of this work. Much appreciation is also due to the other members of my thesis committee, namely, Dr. Jennifer Boyd and Dr. Greg Reighard. I have a great deal of gratitude for Professor Jeremy Bramblett for his contributions in land and funding for this project. Finally, the author would like to thank all of the students, volunteers, and family members who have aided me in this work. This research was funded in part by grants from the Summerfield K. Johnston Endowment for the Restoration of American Chestnut, The American Chestnut Foundation, and Dollywood. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES......................................................................................................................................................viii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................................................... ix ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................. 3 Chestnut ethnobotany ........................................................................................................................ 3 Chestnut tree and nut characteristics ................................................................................................. 6 Commercial chestnut production worldwide .................................................................................... 8 Commercial chestnut production in the United States .................................................................... 15 Genetic diversity of cultivars and rootstocks .................................................................................. 16 Important diseases of chestnut trees ................................................................................................ 21 Important pests of chestnut trees ..................................................................................................... 30 Diseases post-harvest ...................................................................................................................... 37 Grafting and vegetative propagation of chestnut trees .................................................................... 39 Cultivars of Castanea mollissima ................................................................................................... 44 Cultivars of Castanea dentata ......................................................................................................... 45 Japanese, European, and European-Japanese interspecific hybrids ................................................ 46 III. INTRODUCTORY CONSIDERATIONS FOR COMMERCIAL CHESTNUT PRODUCTION IN TENNESSEE ............................................................................................................................. 49 IV. MATERIALS AND METHODS .................................................................................................... 51 V. RESULTS ....................................................................................................................................... 61 2008 nut mass and yield .................................................................................................................. 61 2009 nut mass and yield .................................................................................................................. 66 2010 nut mass and yield .................................................................................................................. 72 2011 nut mass and yield .................................................................................................................. 76 2008-2011 nut mass and yield......................................................................................................... 80 VI. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................... 84 vi Average nut mass and yield for all cultivars years 2008-2011........................................................ 86 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................................ 92 APPENDIX A. CASTANEA PALEOBOTANY ............................................................................................................ 109 Castanea pollination ............................................................................................................................ 110 B. ORCHARD CARE AND MAINTENANCE ....................................................................................... 112 Site and water requirements ................................................................................................................. 114 Chestnut tree care ................................................................................................................................. 115 Soil management practices ................................................................................................................... 115 C. STORING CHESTNUTS .................................................................................................................... 117 Sorting .................................................................................................................................................. 120 Drying .................................................................................................................................................. 120 D. NUTRITIONAL CONTENT OF CHESTNUTS ................................................................................. 122 VITA ......................................................................................................................................................................... 124 vii LIST OF TABLES 1 Worldwide chestnut production .....................................................................................................................