Patent Grant
PP33561
Botanical denomination: (Corylus americana x Corylus avellana) x Corylus avellana cultivar.
Variety designation: ‘OSU 541.147’.
Oregon State University, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, and Arbor Day Foundation executed a Joint Research Agreement on or before the date subject matter disclosed and claimed by the present application was made, and such subject matter was made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of the Joint Research Agreement.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of hybrid Corylus plant, botanically known as (Corylus americana x Corylus avellana) x Corylus avellana, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘OSU 541.147’.
The new Corylus plant resulted from a controlled cross of the female parent ‘NY 616’ (Corylus americana ‘Rush’ x Corylus avellana ‘Barcelona’) (unpatented) x male parent Corylus avellana ‘OSU 226.118’ (unpatented) made in February 1990 (
The female parent is a tree labeled ‘NY 616’ in row M and tree 1 (M01) in the variety plot in Corvallis, Oreg. It is an unpatented F1 Corylus americana x Corylus avellana selection developed in New York from a cross of Corylus americana ‘Rush’ x C. avellana ‘Barcelona’ (Slate, 1930). ‘Rush’ is a Corylus americana selection from southeastern Pennsylvania. ‘Barcelona’ is an old Corylus avellana cultivar from Spain that is widely distributed in Europe and was introduced in the U.S. in about 1885 (Mehlenbacher and Miller, 1989). ‘Barcelona’ is more than 200 years old and is known under several different names, including ‘Castanyera’ in Tarragona (Spain), ‘Grande’ in Asturias (Spain), ‘Grada de Viseu’ in Portugal, and ‘Fertile de Coutard’ in France. The female parent contributed incompatibility allele S23 to ‘OSU 541.147’ (Table 1). ‘Rush’ carries a dominant allele for eastern filbert blight resistance on linkage group 7 (Bhattarai et al., 2017; Coyne et al., 1998).
12
15
12
15
5
12
14 23
10
12
15 23
15 23
12
14
3 12
15 23
1 23
3 23
11 23
11 23
14 25
1 2
3 11
10
14
5
15
5
10
15
20
12 23
The male parent ‘OSU 226.118’ is an unreleased selection.
‘OSU 541.147’ was asexually reproduced by rooted suckers in 1997 through 2006 in Corvallis, Oreg. The unique features of this new Corylus are stable and reproduced true-to-type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following traits have been observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘OSU 541.147’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘OSU 541.147’ as a distinct cultivar:
Comparisons in several replicated plantings in Corvallis, Oreg., Cream Ridge, N.J., and East Brunswick, N.J., show that plants of ‘OSU 541.147’ differed from plants of the Corylus avellana cultivars ‘Barcelona’ (unpatented), ‘Tonda di Giffoni’ (unpatented), ‘Yamhill’, ‘Jefferson’, ‘McDonald’, ‘Wepster’ and other cultivars and selections of Corylus avellana known to the Inventors, primarily in their response to EFB present in New Jersey, a region where the pathogen is native and highly genetically diverse (Muehlbauer et al., 2019). They also differed in S-alleles, nut size, kernel percentage (ratio of kernel weight to nut weight), frequency of defects (blank nuts, moldy kernels, twin kernels, etc.), time of pollen shed, and length of the husk or involucre.
For example:
Eastern filbert blight response in New Jersey: In a multi-year trial in East Brunswick, N.J., ‘OSU 541.147’ showed no eastern filbert blight compared to the proportion of EFB-diseased wood across the canopy calculated to be 20.4% for ‘Yamhill’, 31.2% for ‘Jefferson’, 48.6% for ‘Gasaway’, and 67.0% for ‘Barcelona’.
Pollen shed: ‘OSU 541.147’ generally sheds pollen in East Brunswick, N.J., a week after ‘Ratoli’ (unpatented, minor cultivar from Tarragona, Spain), 2-3 days after ‘Yamhill’ and ‘Santiam’ (unpatented, Mehlenbacher et al., 2007), and 2-3 days prior to ‘Jefferson’ and ‘Gasaway’. In Corvallis, Oreg., OSU 541.147 sheds pollen between ‘McDonald’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,200) and ‘PollyO’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 32,459). ‘OSU 541.147’=descriptor-5.
Husk Length: ‘OSU 541.147’ is 1.6 times nut length, slightly shorter than ‘Barcelona’, while ‘Wepster’ is 2.0 times nut length. Husks have glandular trichomes.
‘OSU 541.147’ produces small kernels that are suitable for the blanched kernel market for use in confections and baked goods. ‘OSU 541.147’ combines resistance to eastern filbert blight (evaluated against Anisogramma anomala present in New Jersey, Oregon, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Minnesota [Molnar et al., 2010a]) with round nuts and kernels and moderately good kernel blanching. The tree is vigorous with an upright habit that produces a desirable orchard tree when pruned to a single stem.
Field observations in Corvallis, Oreg., Cream Ridge, N.J., and East Brunswick, N.J., and results from greenhouse-based inoculations performed in New Brunswick, N.J., indicate that ‘OSU 541.147’ expresses resistance to EFB caused by the fungus Anisogramma anomala. The resistance is conferred by the single dominant allele from Corylus americana ‘Rush’, found on hazelnut linkage group 7 (Bhattarai et al., 2017), which is unlike the cultivars currently grown in Oregon protected by the single dominant ‘Gasaway’ resistance allele found on linkage group 6 (Mehlenbacher et al., 2006). EFB is now present throughout the Willamette Valley of Oregon where 99% of the U.S. hazelnut crop is grown and is endemic to the eastern U.S. and southern Canada, where it has severely limited commercial production of European hazelnut. Fungicide applications and pruning to remove cankers are currently used to manage the disease in orchards of ‘Barcelona’ and other susceptible cultivars in the Pacific Northwestern U.S. ‘OSU 541.147’ was selected in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and subsequently evaluated in New Jersey and is adapted to the climate in both regions. ‘OSU 541.147’ is suitable for planting in areas with high EFB disease pressure. It has shown resistance in the eastern U.S. where the EFB fungus is native and genetically diverse (Muehlbauer et al., 2019).
The foregoing and other objects and features of the disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures.
The accompanying color photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Foliage colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Corylus.
The nucleic acid sequences listed in the accompanying sequence listing are shown using standard letter abbreviations for nucleotide bases as defined in 37 C.F.R. 1.822. Only one strand of each nucleic acid sequence is shown, but the complementary strand is understood as included by any reference to the displayed strand. In the accompanying sequence listing:
SEQ ID NOS: 1-40 are primer sequences that can be used for genetic fingerprinting.
The cultivar ‘OSU 541.147’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype. The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in East Brunswick, N.J., under commercial practice outdoors in the field during the spring and summer. The plant used for the photographs and description were from a seven-year-old tree propagated by tie-off layerage and growing on its own roots. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1966 Edition, except where otherwise noted and where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The list of UPOV descriptors are from the Mar. 28, 1979 Hazelnut guidelines from UPOV.
Disease resistance: ‘OSU 541.147’ differs from existing Corylus avellana cultivars based on its source and type of resistance to eastern filbert blight (EFB) caused by Anisogramma anomala. Commercial cultivars previously widely grown in Oregon including ‘Barcelona’ (unpatented), ‘Ennis’ (unpatented), ‘Daviana’ (unpatented), ‘Butler’ (unpatented), etc. are highly susceptible to EFB and cannot be grown in the eastern U.S. without copious applications of chemical fungicides and heavy pruning to remove infected wood. Tree death can occur in the eastern U.S. within five years of exposure to the fungus. The more recently developed cultivars ‘Santiam’ , ‘Yamhill’, ‘Jefferson’, ‘Dorris’, ‘Wepster’, and ‘McDonald’ and their associated pollenizers are protected from EFB by a single resistance gene conferred from Corylus avellana ‘Gasaway’. This gene provides a high level of resistance in Oregon and Washington where the diversity of the fungus is limited (Muehlbauer et al., 2019), but does not provide a similar level of protection from disease in the eastern U.S. where the pathogen is endemic and genetically diverse (Capik and Molnar, 2012; Molnar et al., 2010b; Muehlbauer et al., 2018). ‘OSU 541.147’ does not carry the single ‘Gasaway’ resistance allele. It carries the Corylus americana ‘Rush’ allele, which is a different gene on a different chromosome than ‘Gasaway’ (Bhattarai, et al., 2017). The allele from ‘Rush’ has been found to be very effective against the populations of Anisogramma anomala present in New Jersey and other locations (Molnar et al., 2010a, 2019).
In a multi-year trial in East Brunswick, N.J., completed in winter 2018 and spanning more than 8 years of exposure to EFB, the average proportion of diseased wood (total length of EFB-diseased stems per tree divided by total length of shoot growth) for ‘OSU 541.147’ was 0.0% (no EFB) compared to 20.4% for ‘Yamhill’ (unpatented, Mehlenbacher et al 2009), 31.2% for ‘Jefferson’ (unpatented, Mehlenbacher et al. 2011a), and 48.6% for ‘Gasaway’ (unpatented). Previous studies in New Jersey showed the proportion of diseased wood of ‘Barcelona’ to be 67.0%, ‘Tonda di Giffoni’ 39%, and ‘Sacajawea’ 21% (Capik and Molnar, 2012).
Differences were also observed in the number of cankers and average canker length for ‘OSU 541.147’ in comparison to ‘Yamhill’, ‘Jefferson’, and ‘Gasaway’ in the study completed in 2018. ‘OSU 541.147’ expressed no cankers. In contrast, ‘Gasaway’ exhibited an average of 93.0 cankers per tree with an average length of 130.8 cm, ‘Jefferson’ exhibited an average of 36.9 cankers per tree with an average length of 72.3 cm, and ‘Yamhill’ exhibited an average of 40.5 cankers per tree with an average length of 37.9 cm. As reported in Capik and Molnar (2012), and as a further point of comparison in regard to EFB response, ‘Barcelona’ exhibited an average of 20.4 cankers per tree with an average length of 61.9 cm, ‘Tonda di Giffoni’ exhibited an average of 39.0 cankers per tree with an average length of 24.5 cm, and ‘Sacajawea’ exhibited an average of 7.7 cankers per tree with an average length of 21.5 cm (Capik and Molnar, 2012).
Nut and kernel characteristics. ‘OSU 541.147’ hazelnut is targeted for the blanched kernel market and specifically for nut production in the eastern United States in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6a to 7b where most existing cultivars of Corylus avellana cannot be grown due to the impacts of EFB.
As shown in
In the trial planted in 2014 in Corvallis, Oreg., ‘Barcelona’ had an average single nut weight of 3.77 g, an average single kernel weight of 1.70, and an average kernel percentage of 45.2%. The trees produced a few nuts in 2016, but were not harvested. Nuts were harvested for three years (2017-19), dried, weighed and evaluated. Total nut weight per tree (2017-19) was 8.0 kg for OSU 541.147, which is less than for the checks ‘Jefferson’, ‘McDonald’ and ‘Wepster’ (Table 2). Trunk cross-sectional area (TCA) was 49.03 cm2, or slightly smaller than ‘Jefferson’. Yield efficiency, the ratio of total yield to TCA, was a respectable 0.164 kg/cm2 and similar to ‘McDonald’ (0.177 kg/cm2). Trees have an upright growth habit, and vigor similar to C. avellana selections in the Corvallis trials.
Raw kernels of ‘OSU 541.147’ have a medium brown pellicle with a large amount of attached fiber (average rating was 4.0 on a scale of 1 [no fiber] to 4 [much fiber]; Table 3). Pellicle removal after roasting at 150° C. for 15 min and rubbing is rated on a scale of 1 (complete pellicle removal) to 7 (no pellicle removal). Slightly less than half of the pellicle on ‘OSU 541.147’ kernels is generally removed after roasting with an average rating of 4.5 (Table 3), a value similar to ‘Barcelona’ (4.2 out of 7.0 as described in Mehlenbacher et al., 2008) and ‘Yamhill’ (4.1 out of 7.0 as described in Mehlenbacher et al. 2011a). In the trial planted in 2014, pellicle removal after roasting was better for ‘McDonald’ (3.7 out of 7) and ‘Wepster’ (3.0 out of 7) (Table 3).
The average percentage of good kernels (kernels free of defects) was calculated for ‘OSU 541.147’ in the trial planted in 2014 and found to be 85.3% (Table 3). There was on average 9.3% blank nuts, 0.3% moldy kernels, 2.4% nuts with shriveled kernels, and 2.5% poorly filled. The percentage of good kernels for ‘OSU 541.147’ was considerably higher than that reported for ‘Barcelona’ in multiple reports from Oregon (60.9% good kernels reported in Mehlenbacher et al. [2008] and 69.4% in Mehlenbacher et al. [2013]). The average percentage of good kernels for ‘OSU 541.147’ grown in New Jersey is slightly lower than the range reported in Oregon for ‘Yamhill’, ‘Jefferson’, ‘Dorris’, and ‘McDonald’, however the percentage of moldy nuts was generally higher for these cultivars. The incidence of twin kernels and moldy kernels with black tips is less than 0.1% in both OR and NJ.
Nut maturity date. The nuts of ‘OSU 541.147’ are typically borne in clusters of 3-4 in husks about 60% longer than the nuts. The husks open as they dry at maturity. About 85% of the nuts fall free of the husk at maturity (range 75-90%). The other 15% of the nuts come out of the husks as they move through the harvester. When mature, the shells are medium brown in color (165A). Harvest date on average is a few days later than ‘Jefferson’ when grown in East Brunswick, N.J., and Corvallis, Oreg. (Table 4).
Incompatibility and pollinizers. The trees set a moderate to high number of catkins that shed pollen in early season 2-3 days after to ‘Yamhill’. Pollen has been collected and germinated on agar medium and both quantity and viability appear to be good. ‘OSU 541.147’ has incompatibility alleles S8 and S23 as determined by fluorescence microscopy. Both alleles are expressed in the female flowers but only S8 is expressed in the pollen due to dominance. By convention, alleles expressed in the pollen are underlined.
In Corvallis, Oreg., time of pollen shed and female receptivity were recorded weekly from early December 2018 to late March 2019 (
Propagation. Layers of ‘OSU 541.147’ are vigorous and root well, similar to standard cultivars of Corylus avellana.
Additional comparative descriptors. Tables 5 and 6 provide additional descriptors distinguishing ‘OSU 541.147’ from various hazelnut varieties.
Microsatellite Marker Analysis: Twenty microsatellite (simple sequence repeat) markers were used. PCR products were multiplexed post-PCR and sized using capillary electrophoresis (Table 6, and see for example Bassil et al., Acta Horticulturae 686:105-110, 2005; Gökirmak et al., Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 56:147-172, 2009; Gürcan and Mehlenbacher. Molecular Breeding 26:551-559, 2010; Gürcan et al.. Tree Genetics and Genomes 6:513-531, 2010).
Table 8 shows allele sizes at 20 microsatellite markers for ‘OSU 541.147’, its female parent ‘NY 616’, and 13 additional cultivars and selections. ‘Rush’, ‘Barcelona’, ‘Montebello’ and ‘Tombul Ghiaghli’ are in the pedigree of ‘OSU 541.147’. Cultivars ‘OSU 541.147’, ‘NY 110’, ‘NY 616’, ‘Rush’, ‘Barcelona’ , ‘Montebello’, and ‘Tombul Ghiaghli’ were fingerprinted in 2020. The other cultivars were fingerprinted in 2018 for ‘PollyO’ (U.S. Plant Patent Publication No. US-2020-0008334-P1). ‘OSU 541.147’ is easily distinguished from all others shown in Table 8. ‘OSU 541.147’ shares an allele with its mother ‘NY 616’ at all SSR loci.
This invention was made with government support under 2016-51181-25412 awarded by USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture, under 58-5358-4-025 awarded by USDA-Agricultural Research Service, and under 18-13-202 awarded by USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service. The government has certain rights in the invention.
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| Molnar et al. 2010. Survey of Corylus Resistance to Anisogramma anomala from different geographic locations. HortScience 45(5) 832-836. (Year: 2010). |
| Molnar, Thomas J., “Genetic Resistance to Eastern Filbert Blight in Hazelnut (Corylus),” Dissertation, New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 2006 (121 pages). |
