Early Cropping of ‘Peach' and ‘Willamette' Chinese Chestnut Trees

Studies were conducted to characterize bur and nut development on shoots of young chestnut (Castanea sp.) trees over a two year period.  Terminal shoots of ‘Peach’ trees with primary (1º) and 2º burs (PS) grew longer and had greater stem diameter than those shoots with 1º burs only  (PO), 2º  burs only (SO), or with no burs (VO) in 2005.  PS  shoots of ‘Peach’ had greater 1º nut weight per shoot than the other types of shoots in 2006.  PS shoots also produced 2º nuts with as much or more weight per shoot than SO shoots. For ‘Peach’ trees, 2005 fruiting or vegetative shoots were most likely to develop a VO shoot in 2006.  PS shoots of ‘Willamette’ trees typically produced more 1º nut weight per shoot than the other types of shoots. However, 2º nut weights per shoot were similar for PS and PO shoots on ‘Willamette’ trees. The odds of 2005 fruiting or vegetative ‘Willamette’ shoots developing into PO shoots the following year were ≥ 50%.  Because many ‘Willamette’ shoots labeled in 2005 had the capacity to fruit the following year, these trees were precocious with marketable yield four years after grafting.