A preliminary study on pollen compatibility of some hazelnut cultivars in Iran

Pollen incompatibility is a major problem among hazelnut cultivars and can result in considerable crop loss in hazelnut orchards. Thus, identifying the level of self-compatibility of a cultivar and compatibility between cultivars are crucial aspects to selecting the proper pollenizers. Controlled self- and cross-pollinations were carried out in three local and four imported hazelnut cultivars. Based on cluster set, partial self-compatibility was found in cultivars Pashmine and Shastak, and complete self-compatibility in ‘Tabestane’. The best pollenizers for the cultivars Pashmine, Tabestane, Shastak, Barcelona, Segorbe, Daviana and Merveille were Segorbe, Barcelona, Segorbe, Shastak, Shastak, Pashmine and, Pashmine, respectively.