Prime esperienze di potatura meccanica del nocciolo in Piemonte

The hazelnut cultivation in Piedmont is the youngest among the Italian traditional ones (e.g. Campania). Its early stages of cultivation are dated in the beginning of the 20th century and up to now it occupies 12.000 Ha. Nevertheless many hazelnut trees, mainly in the Langhe district are aged, sited on hard slopes, very large because no pruned since long time and consequently with dense overlapping canopies. So the need to improve yielding, nuts quality, cultural practices as well as to manage usefully the pruning wood, is pointed out. With these aims two long lasting experimental trials on mechanical pruning in Piedmont were made. The first one, started in 1999, was focused on the comparison among different type of mechanical pruning (that is only hedging or topping and hedging plus topping) and the manual pruning, all made in early summer. Whilst the second one started in 2006 has regarded the comparison between manual and mechanical pruning (hedging plus topping) made in spring and in autumn on different trees in the period 2006-2008. So quantity, quality and duration of pruning operations, yielding and nut quality trends four years after pruning, energy values of pruning wood and its mechanical conditioning in the field, were evaluated for 4 orchards till 2010. All data had evidenced many positive influences of mechanical as well as of manual pruning of Tonda Gentile Trilobata mature trees, bush trained, mainly for the traits concerning nut quality. It was also evidenced the needs to front in the future others themes of investigations in view of jointing cost compatibility, yielding, quality and environment sustainability.