Development of Cropping Systems for Hazelnut in Ontario

Lead Applicant: John Zandstra

Research Priority: Productions Systems - Plant

Program Type: Tier 1

Funding Cycle: 2017/2018

Research Centre: N/A

Research Summary: The presence of a hazelnut processor in Ontario provides a stable market for a domestic hazelnut industry.  Essentially all the hazlenuts Ferrero presently utilizes in their Brantford ON factory are sourced overseas, mainly from Turkey, which produces 72% of the world total.  Current world demand for hazelnuts exceeds the supply, with supplies anticipated to be increasingly tight over the next 10 years.  Political unrest and decreasing hazelnut production in Turkey makes this source uncertain in the long term. Small acreages of hazelnuts have been grown in Ontario for the fresh market for the past 45 years, and recent work at the University of Guelph's Simcoe Research Station has confirmed that hazelnuts suited for processing can be grown successfully in Ontario.  As a new expanding crop, cropping systems for growing hazelnuts which are suitable for processing is lacking in Ontario. To date, most field research in Ontario has dealt with cultivar evaluation.  Basic information on establishment, irrigation, fertility, and training and pruning systems as examples, and well as production information for more recently released cultivars is lacking.  This project is intended to help address these issues.