Industries · Emerging
Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts are a crop we're interested in. Clonal tissue culture of Corylus avellana could support Australian hazelnut orchard production and truffle host tree programmes, providing true-to-type, clean planting material at scale.
Industry background. AgriFutures Australia runs the Australian Hazelnut Program of Research (AHAZ), a multi-year research programme with themes including cultivar performance, pest and disease management, and industry development. See AgriFutures Hazelnut industry.
Why tissue culture
- Clonal true-to-type material of high-performing cultivars
- Rapid multiplication to support orchard expansion
- Clean planting material free of systemic pathogens
- Compatible pipeline for hazelnut-based truffle host tree production (with mycorrhizal inoculation handled in the nursery phase)
Hazelnut and truffles
In Australia, hazelnut is one of the two main host species used in the truffle industry, alongside oak. Both orchard hazelnut and truffle host tree programmes are areas we're interested in — see our truffle trees page for more on that side of the industry.
References
- AgriFutures Australia. Hazelnut industry.