Technology Description
‘Felix’ carries the ‘Gasaway’ gene, giving it resistance to EFB. Additionally, ‘Felix’ is resistant to big bud mite (primarily Phytoptus avellanae Nal.), has very few nut defects, and its well-filled nuts are 50% kernel by weight. ‘Felix’ has the incompatibility alleles S5 and S21, with S5 being expressed in the pollen. The S5 allele is not common and its pollen will be compatible on most other hazelnut cultivars. ‘Felix’ sheds pollen later than most other cultivars, making it a useful pollinizer for hazelnut varieties with late mid-season or early late-season female flower bloom.
Features & Benefits
Applications
Background of Invention
Eastern Filbert Blight (EFB), caused by the fungus Anisogramma anomala, poses a serious threat and imposes a significant added cost to hazelnut production in the Willamette Valley, which produces the majority of US hazelnuts. The hazelnut pollinizer developed at Oregon State, named ‘Felix’, is from a cross of OSU 384.095 X ‘Delta’. The advantage of ‘Felix’ is in its resistance to EFB, it has uncommon self-incompatibility alleles, and it sheds pollen during the latter part of the mid-season pollinizers, similar to ‘Hall’s Giant’. The trees have an upright growth habit and will grow to a larger size than ‘Jefferson’ trees. Nut maturation time is similar to ‘Barcelona’. Yields have been only fair with ‘Felix’, but the nuts have few defects, and the kernels have good texture and flavor.