Selection of Chestnuts (C. sativa Mill.) in Sinop Vicinity

Abstract

Chestnut, Castanea sativa Mill., selection, Sinop-Turkey. Abstract This research has been conducted in Ayancik, Erfelek and Turkeli counties of Sinop. It aimed at selecting chestnut types which have superior yield and nut characteristics. 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), earliness in ripening characteristics were investigated. Totally, 78 types were evaluated from 1993 to 1996. Following ranges were determined in the population. Fruit bearing : from light to heavy, nut weight: 4.51-14.00 g, nut/bur: 1.48-2.90, shell: hairy, dark brown- bright, light brown, shell thickness: 0.30-0.81 mm, kernel: dark cream- light cream, ripening: the beginning of September- the third week of November, peeling of testa fairly difficult-easily, testa entering to the seed: not entered. The data were evaluated by the weighted- ranked method. The scores of chestnut types were determined to their qualitative characteristics. And then, relative scores of them for general quality, nut size, earliness and chestnut paste were determined. The following types were selected for their special quality scores. For nut size: SA 5-1 (11.8 g), SE 18-2 (10.6 g), and SE 21-9 (10.3 g), for earliness: SE 21-2 maturing in the beginning of September, for chestnut paste: SE 3-12 and SA 5-1, for general quality: SA 5-1, SE 18-2 and SE 21-9.