University of California, Davis, researchers have bred a new walnut variety designed to provide growers a way to harvest earlier and boost the harvest efficiency of California鈥檚 $1.6 billion walnut industry.
The new 鈥溞掳拿帕喜誓谀恍畔 Wolfskill鈥 walnut has yield, quality and light color similar to Chandler, which is a late-harvesting walnut and the state鈥檚 leading variety. 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Wolfskill was bred in 2003 from a cross of Chandler with the Solano walnut. 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Wolfskill combines the color and shell traits of Chandler with the earlier harvest date and kernel fill of Solano.
鈥淭he release of 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Wolfskill means growers can spread out their harvest and still have a really high-quality nut that will fetch top-notch prices and provide similar yields,鈥 said Pat J. Brown, breeder and professor with the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Department of Plant Sciences.
Over 99 percent of the nation鈥檚 walnuts are grown in California. More than half of the state鈥檚 bearing acres are the late-harvest Chandler walnuts.
鈥淭he California walnut industry needs earlier harvesting walnut varieties to provide efficient use of harvesting, drying and processing equipment,鈥 said breeder Chuck Leslie, with the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Walnut Improvement Program. 鈥溞掳拿帕喜誓谀恍畔 Wolfskill can be harvested 12 to 14 days earlier than Chandler and provides consistently light to extra light color.鈥
Handlers judge the value of a walnut based on its color and how well it halves while processing. In blind quality evaluations by commercial graders, the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Wolfskill was often not distinguished from Chandler.
新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Wolfskill was originally planted and evaluated at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis, and field trials with growers began in 2011.
鈥淭he commitment of our walnut growers, as collaborators, is the foundation that makes this release possible. The Board is extremely grateful for the long-term partnership of our growers and the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息, in finding innovative solutions that help us solve for critical needs,鈥 said Michelle Connelly, executive director of the California Walnut Board.
The California Walnut Board funded the research. 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Wolfskill is currently available to California nurseries for propagation in California and sales to growers throughout the United States. Nurseries interested in propagating and selling this cultivar may obtain a license from 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis InnovationAccess.
Media Resources
Amy Quinton, News and Media Relations, 530-601-8077, amquinton@ucdavis.edu
Pat J. Brown, Plant Sciences, pjbrown@ucdavis.edu
Chuck Leslie, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Walnut Improvement Program, caleslie@ucdavis.edu
Denise Meade, InnovationAccess, 530-754-8674, dlmeade@ucdavis.edu