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Overview of walnut culture in Turkey

Article  in  Acta horticulturae · August 2014

DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2014.1050.50

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Overview of Walnut Culture in Turkey
U. Ertürk1 and Y. Akça2
1
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Uludag, Bursa, Turkey
2
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Gaziosmanpaşa,
Tokat, Turkey

Keywords: Juglans regia, orchard management, Turkish cultivars

Abstract
Turkey is located at the germplasm and centre of origin of walnut. J. regia is
the only walnut species commonly found while other walnut species are not seen in
nature in Turkey. Walnut populations composed of genetically dispersed and rich
genotypes grown from seeds in general are spread in almost all geographical regions
throughout Turkey. In the early 1980s, walnut orchards have been established with
cultivars selected in Turkey. Walnut usage in Turkish cuisine and furniture
industries has made this species more valuable than other species. But the increase
in walnut timber export caused thousands of walnut trees to be cut especially
between the years 1985 and 2000. Import of walnuts is approximately 60,000 t in
Turkey where annually 200,000 t of walnuts are produced. This has increased the
attention to walnut growing in recent years. Large walnut orchards have been
established with government support in Turkey. Recently, domestic walnut cultivars
have been replaced by late leafing foreign walnut cultivars with high lateral bud
fruitfulness in newly established walnut orchards. It is estimated that import will be
reduced by fruiting of the newly established orchards planted with especially
‘Chandler’ nursery trees. Besides, 10-million walnut-tree-planting projects in
10 years is a new expansion for Turkish walnut growing in the context of the project
by the Ministry of Forest and Water Management. Walnut research has been
focused on genetics and breeding, irrigation, fertilization, stress physiology,
mechanization, control of disease and pest in Turkey.

INTRODUCTION
Turkey is the motherland and one of the oldest cultivation areas of walnut. Turkey
with its 10.5 millions of trees and 5.35% share in worldwide walnut production comes
after China, Iran and USA. According to data that TURKSTAT (Turkish Statistical
Institute) reported, Turkey’s annual walnut production is 200,000 tons and the amount of
walnuts imported is 60,000 tons which implies that actual walnut production is less than
the statistics report. Hence, Turkey’s total production is 85,000 tons according to USDA
reports. In conclusion we can estimate that actual production is about 85-90 thousands of
tons.
Walnut is grown in all agricultural regions covering about 55,201.9 ha in Turkey.
The Aegean Region contains most of the area with 11,518.8 ha followed by Mid-Eastern
Anatolia region with 7,391 ha. The majority of walnut production is made in the Mid-
Eastern Anatolia Region followed by Western Black Sea region.
Walnut production in Turkey is based on the species Juglans regia (Akça and
Polat, 2007; Şen, 2011). In addition, the Ministry of Forestry and Water Management has
started to promote the establishment of new walnut plantations with J. hindsii, J. nigra
species and their hybrids to enrich genetic resources in recent years. There are some
efforts to import J. ×paradox rootstocks (Tekintaş, 1988; Şen, 2011; Akça, 2012).
In Turkey walnut is grown from sea level up to altitudes of 1800 m. It is possible
to run across thousands of trees grown from seed in almost every region of Anatolia.
However, due to more suitable ecological conditions such as average temperatures,
precipitation and soil characteristics and especially the interest of local people to walnut,
the provinces that have widespread and dense walnut populations are Zonguldak,
Hakkari, Çorum, Van, Kastamonu, Bursa, Kahramanmaraş and Tokat (Akça and Polat,

Proc. VIIth International Walnut Symposium 369

Ed.: Jianbao Tian
Acta Hort. 1050, ISHS 2014
2007).
Serr (1965) reported after one year research in Turkey that growers in Turkey
believe that walnut and almond are planted by God, and there is no need for cultivation
practices. In Turkey walnuts are generally grown as boundary trees or with other fruit
species in the same orchard. But recently new walnut orchards are established with
introduced foreign cultivars or promising native cultivars.

BREEDING STUDIES
Walnut is grown from seed in Anatolia over the years. Although many trees were
cut for their precious timber, there are still walnut (J. regia) populations of great genetic
variation having resistance to pests and diseases, lateral fruit bearing, late leafing time and
nut quality in Anatolia which has led to many researches of selection. The first selection
breeding study was conducted to select promising seedling genotypes grown in
20 different sites in Marmara Region located at northwest part of Turkey in 1971. Twenty
promising walnut genotypes were selected (Ölez, 1971). Later, other selection studies
conducted by Çelebioğlu (1978), Şen (1980), Akça (1993), Özkan (1993), Beyhan (1993),
Yarılgaç (1997), Gün (1998), Oğuz (1998), Sütyemez (1998), Ünver and Çelik (2005) and
Yılmaz (2006) followed in different regions. Some of the promising genotypes were
registered as standard local cultivars. Today, all of the Turkish cultivars under production
come from these selection studies. Lately, Akça and Sütyemez (2012) started a new
walnut breeding program in order to find genotypes with late leafing, lateral fruitfulness,
short vegetation period, early harvest season, tolerance to bacterial blight, and superior
nut and kernel qualities in 2008.

PLANTING MATERIAL

Rootstock
Until the beginning of the 1970s walnut tree was propagated from seeds in Turkey.
In recent years, production with grafted nursery trees has begun. However, in some
regions, ‘Kaman 1’ and ‘Kaman 5’ cultivars are still being propagated by seed. Patch
budding, whip and tongue graft, cleft grafting and chip budding methods are used in
propagation and J. regia seedlings are the rootstocks. Nursery trees are produced both
bare rooted and in pots. Bare root trees are planted in dormant state whereas trees in pots
can be planted in any seasons of the year.

Cultivars
The use of grafted trees has allowed starting new walnut orchards where foreign
cultivars or promising native cultivars, like ‘Şebin’, ‘Bilecik’, ‘Maraş 18’, ‘Yalova 1’,
‘Yalova 3’, ‘Akça 1’, ‘Kaman 1’, ‘Bursa 95’ and ‘Sütyemez’ are planted. Introduced
cultivars include ‘Chandler’ (66%), ‘Pedro’, ‘Fernor’, ‘Fernette’, and ‘Franquette’. In
some orchards, unproductive trees, particularly the ones grown from seed, are usually
grafted using top working technique.
ESTABLISHING THE WALNUT ORCHARD AND MANAGEMENT
New orchards are established at 7×7, 7×8, 8×8, 7×9 or 9×9 m planting distances.
Intensive orchards are still very rare. However recently, new orchards at 7×3.5 and 8×4 m
are started to be established. Training in central leader is used in those new orchards and
they are irrigated and fertilized.
Walnut blight (Xanthomonas campestris pv. juglandis) anthracnose (Gnomonia
leptostyla) and root rot (Phytophthora spp.) are the main diseases in Turkey. Codling
moth (Cydia pomonella), walnut aphids (Chromaphis juglandicola) and Zeuzera pyrina
are the main pests (Akça and Polat, 2007). No pest control is done on old trees. However,
newly-established walnut orchards used to follow methodical spraying programs mainly
against codling moth, walnut aphids and anthracnose (Akça and Polat, 2007).

370
HARVEST AND POSTHARVEST
Since walnut trees are naturally found dispersed on steep areas, mechanical
harvest is hard to accomplish so the harvest is usually done by hand; whether nuts fall
down by shaking or beating the branches with long sticks. For this reason natural hull
cracking has to be reached. Hulling is also done by hand. Quality loss of kernel occurs if
hull maturation is waited or harvested fruits left without hulling for some time. Recently,
hulling machines began to be used. Hulled nuts are generally sun dried.
Shelling is done by hand too. The use of standard cultivars is still limited and
fruits are non-uniform which makes use of machines for shelling inefficient. Shelled
walnuts are stored in cool storage and presented for consumption throughout the year.
There are no references on postharvest packaging techniques and advances in Turkey.
Walnuts are commonly used in the dessert production industry.

USES AND TRADITIONS

Walnut has an important place in lives of people in Anatolia. Walnut with its
mixed colored and multi-shaped timber has an important place in the furniture industry
(coating, carving, dowry chest, baby cradle). Walnut wood is used to make some musical
instruments, sports tools, gunstocks and parquets. Also during Anatolian Seljuk and
Ottoman Empire periods, walnut timber was used to make mihrap (a niche of a mosque
indication the direction of Mecca), minber (a staircase of a mosque giving a speech), rahle
(a chair on which the Holy Koran is placed), and speech podium. Walnut leaves, husk and
bark are used in the paint industry. Also walnut has found a place in children games and
song lyrics since thousands of years. Nutritional value of walnut comes from its high oil
and protein content. Researches show that oil content of domestic cultivars varies
between 48.97 and 69.35% while protein content is between 10.58 and 18.19% (Yerlikaya
et al., 2012). Walnut has an important place among winter foods of Anatolian habitants.
“Dövme” is a dessert made by pounding walnut with dried mulberries and eaten during
long winter nights. Also in different regions it is added into products like helva, köme,
lokum, baklawa, pie, bread, pumpkin dessert, fenugreek, kibbeh and dried fig dessert.
Leaves, husks, roots, and barks are used to stain hair and hand palms. Furthermore,
carpets and rugs are stained by their extracts. It is believed that walnut leaves, barks, and
husks have a relaxing effect. Since they have a very high energy value, walnut shells are
used as fuel, especially in rural areas.

FUTURE PLANS
The Walnut Research Council which has been founded in the year 2000 is
conducting studies on breeding, adaptation, molecular biology, harvest and postharvest
and other cultivation practices. Walnut Producers Unions that have been established in
important walnut production areas of Turkey are working to help producers to solve their
problems.
In the next 5 years’ course of action plan to improve walnut production, the
Turkish Ministry of Forest and Water Management is planning to plant 5,000,000 new
walnut trees. Wild walnut trees will be grafted using standard cultivars and education
programs for growers will be organized. To stop cutting of mature walnut trees, new
plantations will be established with cultivars which are suitable for timber production.

Literature Cited
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Akça, Y. and Polat, A.A. 2007. Present status and future of walnut production in Turkey.
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Akça Y. and Sütyemez, M. 2012. Breeding of walnut cultivars which are late leafing and
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371
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