Selection of chestnuts (C-sativa Mill.) in Samsun vicinity

Abstract

This study has been carried out by the aim of selection of chestnut types which have superior yield and nut characteristics in Samsun. For this aim, fruitfulness, bearing habit, number of nut per bur, nut size (number of nut/kg), color, brightness, thickness and hardness of shell, kernel color, testa peeling and entering to the seed (mm) and earliness in ripening were investigated. Totally, 49 types were evaluated in 1996 and 1997. The following ranges were determined in the population. Fruit bearing: from light to heavy, nut weight: 5.2-16.0 g, nut/bur: 1.00-2.87, shell: hairy, dark brown- bright, light brown, shell thickness: 0.34-1.01 mm, kernel: dark cream- light cream, ripening: the beginning of September- the beginning of November, peeling of testa fairly difficult-easily, testa entering into the seed: generally not entered, only one type fairly entered. The data were evaluated by the weighted- rankit method. The following types were selected for their special quality scores. For nut size: 556-7 (14.6 g), 556-8 (11.7 g), 554-2 (15.1 g) and 554-14 (12.2 g), for earliness: 552-8 and 552-10 matured in the first week of September, 552-14 matured in the second week of September, for chestnut paste: 552-14 and 552-10 and for general quality: 552-10, 552-14 and 556-8.