Patent Application
20250120360
The Sequence Listing is submitted as an XML file named “Sequence.xml,” created on Oct. 3, 2023, 35,809 bytes, which is incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of European hazelnut, also known as filbert, and botanically known as Corylus avellana, hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Thompson’. The new Corylus plant resulted from a controlled cross of the female parent Corylus avellana ‘OSU 914.082’ (unpatented) x male parent Corylus avellana ‘OSU 820.007’ (unpatented) made in February 2005 (see,
The female parent is ‘OSU 914.082’, obtained from a cross of ‘OSU 315.096’ (unpatented) and ‘Santiam’ (unpatented, Mehlenbacher et al., HortScience 42:715-717, 2007). ‘OSU 315.096’ is from a cross of ‘OSU 23.017’ (unpatented) and ‘Tonda Gentile delle Langhe’ (unpatented) from northern Italy. ‘OSU 23.017’ is from a cross of ‘Barcelona’ (unpatented) and ‘Extra Ghiaghli’ (unpatented). ‘Barcelona’ is an old Corylus avellana cultivar from Spain that is widely distributed in Europe and was introduced to the U.S. in about 1885 (Mehlenbacher and Miller, Fruit Var. J. 43:90-95, 1989). ‘Barcelona’ 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. ‘Extra Ghiaghli’, described by Raptopolous and Kantartzis (1961), is a clone of the important Turkish cultivar ‘Tombul’ and was imported from Greece in the late 1950s. ‘Santiam’ is a parent of ‘McDonald’ (US PP28,200).
The male parent is ‘OSU 820.007’, an unreleased selection from a cross of ‘OSU 275.031’בOSU 504.065’ (both unpatented). ‘OSU 275.031’ is from a cross of ‘Montebello’ (unpatented) from Sicily and ‘OSU 74.037’ (unpatented). The parentage of ‘OSU 74.037’ includes ‘Barcelona’, ‘Daviana’ (unpatented) from England and ‘Tombul Ghiaghli’ (unpatented), a Turkish type from Greece (Raptopolous and Kantartzis, 1961). ‘OSU 504.064’ is a parent of ‘York’ (US PP24,972). The pedigree of ‘OSU 504.065’ includes ‘Montebello’, grower selection ‘Compton’ (unpatented), an unknown selection labeled F-4, and ‘Gasaway’ (unpatented, Mehlenbacher et al., HortScience 26:410-411, 1991), the original donor of resistance to eastern filbert blight.
‘Thompson’ was asexually reproduced by rooted suckers in 2012 through 2021 in Corvallis, OR. 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 ‘Thompson’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Thompson’ from other know Corylus avellana cultivars, such as ‘Yamhill’ (unpatented, Mehlenbacher et al., HortScience 44:845-847, 2009), ‘Jefferson’ (unpatented, Mehlenbacher et al., HortScience 46:662-664, 2011), ‘McDonald’ (US PP28,200), ‘Wepster’ (US PP27,141), ‘Barcelona’, and ‘Tonda di Giffoni’ (unpatented), and other cultivars and selections of Corylus avellana known to the inventor:
Female Receptivity: The female inflorescences of ‘Thompson’ emerge early and are fully receptive in mid-January, with ‘McDonald’, but their styles blacken about two weeks earlier than those of ‘McDonald’ (see,
Pollen Shed: ‘Thompson’ generally sheds pollen in Corvallis, OR in early mid-season, with ‘McDonald’ and before ‘Felix’ (US PP24,973) (see,
Husk Length: The husk of ‘Thompson’ is about 1.3 times nut length, slightly shorter than ‘Barcelona’, while ‘Wepster’ is 2.0 times nut length. The husks have finger-like tips, are slit down the side, and flare open as they dry at maturity (see,
Nuts and Kernels: ‘Thompson’ produces round, medium-sized nuts and kernels. Most of the pellicle is removed from the kernel with dry heat in the blanching process (see,
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 variety, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. It should be noted that colors may vary, for example due to lighting conditions at the time the photograph is taken. Therefore, color characteristics of this new variety should be determined with reference to the observations described herein, rather than from the photographs alone.
The nucleic acid sequences 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 (see, Table 7).
Certain characteristics of this variety may change with changing environmental conditions (such as photoperiod, temperature, moisture, soil conditions, nutrient availability, or other factors) without, however, any variance in genotype. Color descriptions and other terminology are used in accordance with their ordinary dictionary descriptions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Corvallis, OR, 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, 5th Edition, 2007 except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The color values were determined in spring and summer 2020-2022 under natural light conditions in Corvallis, Oregon. The UPOV descriptor list is from the Mar. 28, 1979 Hazelnut guidelines from UPOV.
Scientific Name: Corylus avellana
‘Thompson’ has incompatibility alleles S2 and S15. Hazelnut is a wind-pollinated, monoecious species that exhibits a sporophytic self-incompatibility system controlled by a single locus designated as the S-locus with 33 alleles (Mehlenbacher, J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 139:191-212, 2014). For comparison, Corylus avellana ‘McDonald’ has the same pair of alleles S2 and S15, ‘PollyO’ (US PP32,459) has alleles S2 and S10, ‘Sacajawea’ (unpatented, Mehlenbacher et al., HortScience 43:255 257, 2008) has the alleles S1 and S22, ‘Tonda di Giffoni’ has alleles S2 and S23, while ‘Tonda Pacifica’ (US PP22,715) and ‘Wepster’ have alleles S1 and S2.
In Oregon, plants of ‘Thompson’ are resistant to EFB caused by the fungus Anisogramma anomala (Peck) E. Müller. All trees of ‘Thompson’ in trial plots have remained free of EFB with no fungicide applications. Fungicide applications are not expected to be needed to control EFB. Plants have not been challenged against all populations of Anisogramma anomala present in North America (Muehlbauer et al., Phytopathology 109:1074-1082, 2019); it is likely that ‘Thompson’ is susceptible to populations of the fungus in New Jersey that are able to overcome resistance derived from ‘Gasaway’.
Susceptibility to bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas arboricola pv. corylina has not been quantified, but no trees in the trials in Corvallis, Oregon were affected.
Susceptibility to bud mite (primarily Phytoptus avellanae Nal.) was rated in trials in Corvallis, OR, in mid-December on a scale of 1 (no blasted buds) to 5 (many blasted buds). The average rating for ‘Thompson’ was 1.04, indicating a high level of resistance comparable to ‘Barcelona’ and ‘Jefferson’.
‘Thompson’ was selected in Corvallis, OR and is targeted for production in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6a to 7b. Plants of the new Corylus avellana have been observed to tolerate temperatures from −18° C. to 40° C.
Disease Resistance: Based on field exposure and DNA markers, ‘Thompson’ is resistant to eastern filbert blight (EFB) caused by Anisogramma anomala in Oregon, where cultivars previously widely grown (‘Barcelona’, ‘Ennis’ (unpatented), ‘Daviana’, and ‘Butler’ (unpatented)) are susceptible. The more recently developed cultivars ‘Santiam’, ‘Yamhill’, ‘Jefferson’, ‘Dorris’, ‘Wepster’, and ‘McDonald’ and their associated pollinizers are protected from EFB by a single resistance gene 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., Phytopathology 109:1074-1082, 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, J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 137:157-172, 2012; Molnar et al., Plant Dis. 10:1265, 2010; Muehlbauer et al., Phytopathology 109:1074-1082, 2019). It is unlikely that ‘Thompson’ would remain free of EFB in New Jersey where populations of the pathogen are genetically diverse.
Nut and Kernel Characteristics: ‘Thompson’ hazelnut is targeted for the blanched kernel market and specifically for nut production in the Pacific Northwestern United States in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6a to 7b. As shown in
Raw kernels of ‘Thompson’ have a light brown pellicle with little attached fiber (average rating was 2.19 on a scale of 1 (no fiber) to 4 (much fiber); see, 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). Most of the pellicle on ‘Thompson’ kernels is removed after roasting with an average rating of 2.75 (see, Table 3), a value slightly better than ‘McDonald’ (3.50) and ‘Wepster’ (3.03).
The average percentage of good kernels (kernels free of defects) for ‘Thompson’ in the trial planted in 2014 was 83.2% (see, Table 3). There was on average 4.2% blank nuts, 2.8% moldy kernels, 1.6% nuts with shriveled kernels, and 7.4% poorly filled nuts. The percentage of good kernels for ‘Thompson’ was considerably higher than the 60-70% range in multiple reports for ‘Barcelona’ in Oregon. The percentage of poorly filled nuts for ‘Thompson’ (7.4%) was lower than for ‘Jefferson’ (12.6%) and ‘Wepster’ (17.3%) despite the heavy crop loads on ‘Thompson’ trees.
Nut Maturity Date: The nuts of ‘Thompson’ are typically borne in clusters of 3-4 in husks about 30% longer than the nuts (see,
Flowering Time: Trees of ‘Thompson’ set a high number of catkins that shed copious amounts of pollen. Time of pollen shed and female receptivity were recorded weekly from mid-December to mid-March in the second trial for three years for ‘Thompson’ and the check cultivars (see,
Additional Comparative Descriptors: Tables 1-6 provide additional descriptors and trial data distinguishing ‘Thompson’ 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. 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). The microsatellite markers are described in Table 7 and allele sizes are reported in Table 8.
and Genomes 6: 513-531, 2010; Gurcan and Mehlenbacher, Molecular
Breeding 26: 551-559, 2010; Bassil, et al., Acta Horticulturae 686: 105-110,
This invention was made with government support under Specialty Crops Research Initiative Grant 2016-51181-25412 awarded by the USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture and under agreement 58-5358-4-025 awarded by USDA-Agricultural Research Service. The government has certain rights in the invention.
