Yield and Kernel Quality of Interspecific Hybrid Hazelnut Cultivars Grown in the Upper Midwest

Hazelnuts are envisioned as a keystone species for agroforestry plantings in the Upper Midwest region of the United States; however, a lack of proven commercially viable hazelnut cultivars has limited widespread their adoption. New cultivars of interspecific hybrid hazelnuts have been developed in recent years by multiple breeding programs. To evaluate this material, we populated replicated field trials at Verona, WI, USA, St. Paul, MN, USA, and Staples, MN, USA. These trials were established with multiple cohorts because not all cultivars were available at the same time. We report the growth, yield, and kernel quality of the cohort planted in 2017, which included ‘Northern Blais’, ‘Aldara’, ‘Andrew’, ‘Frank’, ‘Marion’, ‘The Beast’, and ‘Grand Traverse’. Of these cultivars, Northern Blais had the highest performance, with a total yield of more than double that of the next highest performing cultivar over 5 years.