40 VIVAI F.LLI ZANZI

BOUCHE DE BETIZAC

apricot chestnut cherry strawberry minor fruit species almond apple walnut pear peach bush and

cane berries plum table grapeskiwifruit

VIVAI F.LLI ZANZI 41

chestnutapricot chestnut cherry strawberry minor

fruit species almond apple walnut pear peach bush and cane berries plum table

grapeskiwifruit

CLIMATE AND SOIL

Chestnut is native to southern Europe. Its ideal habitat is from 600 to 800 m above sea level but can be found above 1000 m in southern areas of its range.Chestnut prefers deep, moist, sub-acidic (pH between 5 and 6.5) soils with balanced com-position of clay-sand-loam and without active lime.The trees suffer from high sum-mer temperatures and from winter lows under -16 to -18°C. Chestnut requires fair amount of water, at least 700 mm annually, well-distributed through the year.Chestnut prefers south-eastern, southern, south-western or western exposures in temperate climate zones.

SPECIES

The wide assortment of chestnut varieties includes, in addition to European chestnut (Castanea

CULTIVATED VARIETIES

a) European chestnut (C. sativa Mill.).

- Varieties for fresh use and processing: Fiorentino or Casentinese, Castel del Rio, di Marradi, Chiusa Pesio, Lu-

sativa), members of the spe-cies C. mollissima Bl. (Chinese chestnut), C. crenata Sieb. and Zucc. (Japanese chestnut) and Euro-Japanese hybrids. The Eu-ropean chestnut is used for both nuts and lumber, while the Asian species are used primarily for nuts.

Italian production of chestnuts surpasses 50,000 metric tons annually, approximately half of chestnut production in Europe. China dominates the international market with production of over a million

metric tons annually of Asian chestnuts, different from European varieties belonging to the species Castanea sativa, which are known to be of better quality.In the last twenty years the Italian chestnut industry has revived. Many old chestnut groves have been pruned for renewal, the damage from chestnut blight has receded and the market for high quality nuts (European chestnuts and hybrids) has been profitable and encouraging for growers. The revival of the chestnut industry has given birth to the concept of the specialized orchard planted with chestnut varieties to provide high quality nuts for fresh consumption and upmarket sweets.The fresh market demands large chestnuts (for roasting and boiling), while the processing industry requires easily peeled chestnuts suitable for candying, syrups and “marron glacè”. Both markets prefer and pay more for large nuts of European varieties.Unfortunately, the Oriental chestnut gall wasp, a dangerous parasite imported from China, has been present in Italy for the last ten years, first in the province of Cuneo and now spread throughout Italy. The gall wasps, classified in the order hymenoptera, afflict chestnut shoots by damaging growth and preventing female flowers from blooming, thus seriously compromising yield.Releases of a natural parasite of the wasp, imported from Japan (Torymus sinensis) seem to have been effective, and may be able to contain the damage from the gall wasp.

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UNITEC S.p.A. Via Provinciale Cotignola, 20/9 48022 - Lugo (RA) Italytel. +39 0545 288884 Email: unitec@unitec-group.com

SIZE

EXTERNALDEFECTS

CHESTNUT_VISION© for the detection of chestnuts’ quality

“WE BUILD” INNOVATION! to give RESULTS!

A significant advance in the automated selection of chestnuts

VIVAI F.LLI ZANZI 43

CASTEL DEL RIO

chestnutwalnut pear peach bush and cane berries plum table

grapes

PRUNING

The vase training system is particularly suited for Euro-pean cultivars. The trees have 3-4 main scaffold branches at 150-180 cm height to allow the free passage of vehicles underneath. The branches are spaced evenly around the trunk, with a correct insertion angle, with the goal of form-ing an open vase. At the end of the fourth year the plants have usually attained the de-sired form, and pruning is lim-ited to thinning to favour light penetration in the canopy, re-moval of dead, rotten or dam-aged branches and to promote growth. Orchards with close tree spacing or Euro-Japanese hybrids may adopt the pyramid training system, with a central axis and lateral branches with wide insertion angle spaced around this axis.

FERTILISATION

An initial soil ferti l isation is used to correct any insufficien-cies discovered with soil tests. Generally, organic fertilisation is recommended, with the ad-dition of 30-40 t/ha of com-posted manure, or as much as is required to reach 2-3% organic matter. Before plant-ing, mineral fertilisers contain-ing phosphorus and potassium

serna, Val Susa (in Italy) and Montagne, Sardonne, Com-balle (in France)

- Varieties only used fresh: Tempurive, Castagne della Madonna, Precoce di Roc-camonfina, Garrone rosso, Garrone nero, Gioviasca, Bi-onda di Mercogliano e Mon-temarano;

-Varieties for drying and milling: Frattona, Gabbiana, Siria, Pastinese e Carpinese.

b) Euro-Japanese hybrids. Trees come into production precociously (two-three years after planting). They are har-vested earlier in the season (September), so they are of-ten planted for the production for early market. These trees are smaller than European chestnuts and are well-suited for cultivation in semi-inten-sive orchards (160-180 trees/ha). The nuts, large and with a low percentage of defects (seed coat within the nut), are suited for fresh consumption and industrial processing. Of note are: Primato and Luse-nta (of Italian origin); Bouche di Betizac (figure on the left), Bournette, Maridonne, Marl-hac, Vignols (bred in France); Maraval, Marigoule (figure on the right), Marsol, Precoce Migoule are other French hy-brids used as cultivars as well as clonal rootstocks.

ORCHARD PLANNING

Chestnut (C. sativa) prefers zones with annual mean temperature of 8-15 °C and tolerates some win-ter cold (-15 °C). New plantings do best in hilly areas or low moun-tains, with good sun exposure and low risk of late spring frosts. The ideals soil are medium to deep, light textured, fertile, acidic (pH 5-6.5) and well-drained. Tree spacing depends on the vigour of the cultivar and of the rootstock. European chestnuts require 10 x 12 m to 12 x 12 m and the less vigorous Euro-Japanese hybrids 8 x 8 m (see figure) to 10 x 10 m. Before planting the orchard it is important to be sure that the chosen cultivars are genetically compatible and that they flower simultaneously. To assure thor-ough cross-pollination, it is im-portant to plant more than two inter-compatible cultivars.

44 VIVAI F.LLI ZANZI

MARIGOULE

apricot chestnut cherry strawberry minor fruit species almond applekiwifruit

L.E.A Srl Tel.+39 059 86.38.811 Fax +39 059 86.38.017 Email: info@leaagricoltura.it Web site: www.leaagricoltura.it

Shooting Vegetative development

Flowering Fruit enlargement

Maturation Picking

soil application

IDROL-VEG

foliar application

LEVO-ENERGY

IDROL-VEG

For further information please contact our Technical Department

PESTS AND DISEASES

Fungal diseases: ink disease (Phytophthora cambivora, P. cin-namomi), chestnut blight (Cry-phonectria parasitica), wood rot, anthracnose (Micosphaerella maculiformis), black rot (Ciboria batschiana), mummification (Pho-mopsis endogena). Insects: Cydia fagiglandana, C. splendana, Pammene fasciana, Curculio elephas, Dryocosmus kuriphilus.

must also be added, (in the form of super phosphate and potassium sulfate), as these nutrients are relatively im-mobile in the soil profile. The tree’s nitrogen requirement varies greatly with the age. A potential nitrogen fertilisation program for the first five years would be 50 g/tree in the first year, increased by 50 g /tree in next years up to 250 g /tree in the fifth year, in the form of acidifying fertilisers.

HARVEST

Chestnuts are usually harvested manually (yields of 10-15 kg/hr/person), with high costs and intensive labour. Mechanical harvesters, using aspiration, or sweepers, are becoming more common in large flat orchards where their use is possible. Most nuts are destined for the fresh market (roasted or boiled chest-nuts), with a growing demand from the beginning of harvest (September) through November.

Nutrition programme to improve the production of Chestnut

20 l/haImproves soil structure and

facilitates the nutrients absorption

3 kg/ha Biostimulant, enhances the pollen and the ovary fertility and it facilitates the fertilisation.

Improves the fruit setting

4 l/ha Improves the absorption and effectiveness of pesticides treatments,

increases the quality and the production

3 kg/haBiostimulant, anti-stress.

Improves the fruit enlargement

VIVAI F.LLI ZANZI 45

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European chestnut cultivars and pollinizers

Cultivar Catkins Pollinizers

Belle Epine longistamine Marigoule, Marsol, Portaloune

Bouche Rouge astamine or brachistamine Belle Epine, Marigoule

Dorée de Lyon brachistamine Belle Epine, Marigoule, Montagne

Laguepie mesostamine Belle Epine, Marigoule, Montagne

Marron de Chevanceax longistamine (fertile pollen) Belle Epine, Marigoule

Marron de Goujounac longistamine Marigoule, Montagne, Precoce Carmeille

Marrone di Chiusa Pesio,

di Viterbo, Fiorentino

astamine Belle Epine, Boumette, Madonna, Marsol,

Precoce Migoule

Marrone di Greve astamine Maraval, Marsol, Precoce Migoule

Marrone di Luserna astamine Ginyose, Vignols

Montagne longistamine Precoce Carmeille

Pelosa Grossa astamine Tsukuba, seedlings of C. sativa

Pelosa Piccola astamine Tsukuba, seedlings of C. Sativa

Portaloune longistamine Belle Epine, Marigoule, Marsol

Precoce Carmeille longistamine Marigoule, Montagne

Sardonne astamine Longistaminate cultivars of C. sativa

and C. mollissima

Verdale longistamine Belle Epine, Marron de Goujounac, Montagne

(I) Euro-Japanese hybrid; (G) Japanese chestnut; (E) European chestnut.

Sources: Bellini, 1995; Bounous et al, 1992; Bounous ct al, 1997.

Japanese cultivars, Euro-Japanese hybrid cultivars, pollinizers

Cultivar Catkins Pollinizers

Ginyose (G) longistamine Tsukuba (G)

Tsukuba (G) longistamine Ginyose (G), Vignols (I)

Bouche de Bétizac (I) astamine, brachistamine Belle Epine (E), Marron de Chevanceaux (E),

Marron de Goujounac (E).

To a lesser extent: Bournette (I), Maraval (I),Marsol

(I), Precoce Migoule (I)

Bournette (I) longistamine (medium pollen fertility) Belle Epine (E), Maraval (I), Marigoule (I), Marsol

(I), Precoce Migoule (I)

Maraval (I) longistamine (low pollen fertility) Bournette (I), Marigoule (I), Precoce Migoule (I)

Maridonne (I) mesostamine (low pollen fertility) Belle Epine (E), Marron de Goajounac (E),

Verdale (E)

Marigoule (I) longistamine (medium pollen fertility) Belle Epine (E), Marron de Chevanceaux (E),

Marron de Goujounac (E), Portaloune (E). To a

lesser extent: Bournette (I), Maraval (I), Marsol (I),

Precoce Migoule (I)

Marsol (I) longistamine Belle Epine (E), Bournette (I), Marigoule (I),

Precoce Migoule (I)

Precoce Migoule (I) longistamine (low pollen fertility) Belle Epine (E), Bou rnette (I), Ginyose (G),

Marigoule (I), Marsol (I), Tsukuba (G), Vignols (I)

Vignols (I) longistamine Ginyose (G), Marigoule (I), Precoce Migoule (I)

(I) Euro-Japanese hybrid; (G) Japanese chestnut; (E) European chestnut.

Fonti: Bellini, 1995; Bounous et al, 1992; Bounous ct al, 1997.

46 VIVAI F.LLI ZANZI

apricot chestnut cherry strawberry minor fruit species almond applekiwifruit

Pest and disease management for ChestnutDISEASE / PEST Commercial Product Name Active Ingredient Dose Notes

CHESTNUT BLIGHT (Cryphonectria parasitica) COPPER OXYCHLORIDE 32% 250-500 g/hl

LEAF SPOT(Mycosphaerella maculiformis)

COPPER HYDROXIDE 25% 210-220 g/hl

LEPIDOPTERA(Cydia fagiglandana)(Cydia splendana)

LAMBDA-CIALOTRINA 9,48% 20-25 ml/hl

TREBON UP ETOFENPROX 30% 50 ml/hl

CHESTNUT WEEVIL(Curculio elephas)

LAMBDA-CIALOTRINA 9,48% 20-25 ml/hl

TREBON UP ETOFENPROX 30% 50 ml/hl

CHESTNUT GALL WASP(Dryocosmus kuriphilus) parasitoid TORYMUS SINESIS

PRODUCTS OF THE SYNGENTA GROUP ARE IDENTIFIED WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE LOGOS.THE FOLLOWING TABLES INCLUDE CROP PROTECTION PRODUCTS AUTHORIZED IN ITALY AT THE DATE THIS DOCUMENT WAS CREATED.

Syngenta è uno dei principali attori dell’agro-industria mondiale. Il gruppo impiega più di 26.000 persone in oltre 90 paesi che operano con un unico proposito: Bringing plant potential to life (Sviluppare il potenziale delle piante al servizio della vita).

® Marchio registrato di una società del Gruppo Syngenta.

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Per conseguire questo obiettivo, Syngenta ha scelto di unire i propri business in modo da garantire a chi opera in agricoltura un’offerta unica e completa, comprendente sementi (Seeds), agrofarmaci (Crop Protection), insetti ausiliari (Bioline), servizi ad alto valore aggiunto e programmi di Agricoltura Responsabile.

Grazie all’innovativa combinazione di questi elementi, Syngenta promuove soluzioni integrate che massimizzano la profittabilità dell’impresa agricola e soddisfano le richieste della filiera agroalimentare. Ponendo l’agricoltore al centro della propria attenzione, Syngenta si propone come l’interlocutore di riferimento, in grado di fornire un supporto costante e adeguato alle diverse esigenze di tutti coloro che scelgono di fare un’agricoltura al passo coi tempi, puntando su innovazione, qualità e sostenibilità, per produrre di più e meglio .

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