Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium Overview

The goal of the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium is to create a world leading hazelnut research and breeding program to develop hazelnuts as a widely adapted, high-yielding and low-input sustainable crop suitable for marginal soils that is competitive with annual crops for food, feed or bio-energy.

The purpose of the Consortium is to leverage the intellectual resources and prior research investments of the four organizations to address the major barriers currently restricting the widespread expansion and agricultural adoption of hazelnut production. Specifically, the greatest challenges are (1) susceptibility to hazelnut disease eastern filbert blight (EFB), and (2) the limited climatic adaptation of existing cultivars.

Check out the planned expansion of the United States Hazelnut Growing Area.