ACTA HORTICULTURAE, cilt.1379, ss.1-6, 2023 (Scopus)
Turkey is the world's largest hazelnut producer, accounting for 62% of the crop. The crop size fluctuates but the average production has been 663,009 t in the last 5 years, and about 80-85% of the crop is exported. There is a continuing trend of an increase in the production area which is currently 738,920 ha, which is a 4.4% increase in last five years. There is always a risk of late spring frost damage. The main cultivars in the Eastern Black Sea region are ‘Tombul’, ‘Palaz’, ‘Foşa’ and ‘Çakıldak’ while a mixture of cultivars and mostly ‘Çakıldak’ are produced in the Western Black Sea region. A grower selection called ‘Yomra’ (not a synonym of ‘Foşa’) with late leafing and vigorous growth is also being planted in renewals in the deep and fertile plains of Samsun. Some growers prefer to plant trees grafted on Corylus colurna seedlings, in addition to rooted suckers. Certified nursery production has not yet been established. Lately there has been an increase in contract farming, irrigation on the relatively flat lands and purchasing from cooperatives or cracking plants machine-drying service for nuts. Harvest is generally performed by hand but vacuum harvesters are often used in the western region. Separating the nuts from the husks using a “patoz” machine is a routine practice. The severity of the new type of powdery mildew disease has apparently decreased recently while green shield bug is still a serious problem. A new pest is the citrus longhorned beetle, which was first detected in Trabzon province in 2016 but spread quickly. In 2021, plants in 286 ha of infested orchards were uprooted and destroyed with fire, but a wider area is likely infested.