Description
Corylus avellana. Gamma, released by the Oregon State University in 2002, has truly come into its own as another significant commercial variety being the preferred hazelnut by Ferrero Roche candy company. Consistent size, quality, excellent nut fill and reliable seasonal harvests. The tree itself is compact and has very good mite resistance. Gamma possess the Gasaway gene giving it immunity from Eastern Filbert Blight. Being isolated in a grove of just a few OSU varieties (Yamhill) the chances of having EFB resistance is very good.
If you are looking to expand your hazelnut grove, wanting to start one or just want to add a tree to those you currently have to better your harvests via better pollination, Gamma is probably your answer. Being relatively new to cultivation so the chances of it being related to your bushes and having incompatible alleles is remote.
Hazelnuts begin bearing at three to five years of age, although full production generally starts some five to
seven years later. In general, mature trees can produce 8 to 10 kg of nuts annually. ‘Gamma’ has shown to be the best cultivar for hardiness and production
A full write up can be read via: https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/em8836.pdf
Choose the “Plant” shipping option when ordering plants otherwise we will refuse your order.
- NOT SELF FERTILE
- Maternal Comparability Alleles: 10 & 2 . Both alleles expressed in the pollen.
- Pollinators: Sacajawea and Yamhill (or any hazelnut that does not have the 2 & 10 alleles).
- Available when temps for shipping are better
- Plant type: Deciduous nut tree
- Size: 3m tall x 3m wide.
- Hardiness Zones: 5-9
- Habitat: Sun to semi sun; rich loamy acidic soils.
- Family: Betulaceae
Hazelnut compatibility alleles: Grimo Nursery has the best non academic explanation. https://www.grimonut.com/index.php?p=Cultivars_
Alleles Explained– An allele is one of a pair of genes that appear at a particular location on the chromosome that controls breeding compatibility. Hazelnut alleles are numbered to identify them. All hazelnuts carry two alleles but they are blocked from pollinizing themselves. To simplify, for hazelnuts to cross pollinize, the numbers from one parent must be different from the allele numbers in the other parent. For example, ‘Gamma’ has alleles 2 & 10, ‘Yamhill’ has alleles 8 & 26, and therefore they are compatible both ways. This means that ‘Gamma’ can pollinize ‘Yamhill’ and ‘Yamhill’ can pollinize ‘Gamma’.
Underlined allele numbers indicate that male pollen is expressed by that number. Nuts will not be set when either of the alleles in the female flower matches this expressed alleles in the pollen. For example, ‘Jefferson’ has alleles 1 & 3. ‘Slate’ has alleles 1 & 23. ‘Slate’ pollen is expressed in allele 1 and not in allele 23, but since there is a 1 in the female flower of ‘Jefferson’, they are incompatible. Vice versa, ‘Jefferson’ pollen is expressed in allele 1 but it can’t pollinize ‘Slate’ because of the female allele 1.
