Climate Stress Identified as Cause of Twig Blight in Hazelnuts
· AA Yeşil Hat
Investigations reveal that twig blight affecting hazelnut orchards across the Black Sea region is not caused by any disease agent, but rather by climatic stress factors such as frost and excessive rainfall.
The cause of twig blight observed in hazelnut orchards in the Black Sea Region has been determined. Comprehensive field surveys and laboratory tests conducted in Samsun, Ordu, Giresun, and Trabzon have concluded that the blight is not caused by any pathogen. Evaluating the research findings, Institute Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlyas Deligöz made the following statement:
'We collected the necessary samples from the orchards. Laboratory tests and metagenomic analyses were performed. In field observations, laboratory results, and all analyses conducted, no disease agent associated with the blight was found. The cause of the blight is not disease, but climatic stress such as frost, excessive rainfall, and temperature.'
Emphasizing that unnecessary chemical spraying should not be done in the orchards, Institute Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlyas Deligöz offered the following recommendations to producers:
'Our recommendation to our producers is: do not spray unnecessarily. Prune the dry branches back to healthy tissue. Remove pruning debris from the orchard. Improve drainage, drain the water. Avoid excessive nitrogen, fertilize according to analysis. As an institute, we will resolutely continue our scientific studies for the future of Turkish hazelnuts.'