Walnut Varieties Now Named

11 December 2003

After many years of selection and commercial planting, the NZ Tree Crops Association has named four walnut varieties that have stood the test of time.

Early pioneers in the association quite rightly gave all their selections a number. There were so many, it would have been impossible to name them all. Large numbers were also planted in commercial orchards by members of the "Southern Nut Growers Association" as well as by NZTCA members. However, four varieties have stood out and although there will be others, it is time to name to name these current "winners":

H/1199/4 named Meyric
B1300 named Stan
C/152 named Rex
C/143 named Dublin's Glory

MEYRIC

Meyric Williams conducted extensive searches for good walnut varieties in the early days of NZTCA. According to Chris Ryan, who was also involved in selecting walnuts in the Hawkes Bay, Meyric Williams did not actually discover this tree. He found one that was virtually indistinguishable from this one, except that it was much more difficult to propagate, so this one came to be known as Meyric. Meyric has come to be the variety currently cropping in the biggest numbers. Half a tonne was produced in Canterbury in 1997.

The sales prospect for this cultivar was excellent, as it is a good all round nut; suitable for halves and pieces. While it is not the first choice as an in-shell nut because of its long oval shape, it can be marketed as such because it is easy to open, and maintains good colour and taste if stored properly.

The percentage of kernel compared with the total nut weight (Crackout) is 47%, which is very high and makes Meyric an excellent cultivar for potential returns for growers. ON the debit side, the relatively weak shell would allow moisture into the kernel if left too long on the ground at harvest. Some care may also be required when using mechanical harvesters, although so far this has not been a problem.

REX

In the 1980's Rex Baker stirred up the Canterbury branch of the NZTCA to the extent that they ran a walnut competition, and that brought to light a number of world class selections. Rex and his friends spent many hours in his garage weighing and measuring walnuts. One of them was C/152.

The pluses for this nut are considerable. It manages well in orchards conditions, is small, responds well to tree training, is medium to late flowering and appears to be more resistant to walnut blight. Rex is a small nut which has presented itself well for machine cracking.

Crackout percentage is 45%. The main sales benefit from this nut is the health angle - it has a high proportion of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Experiments have shown that such foods lower blood cholesterol levels. However, because of this nut's exceptional health value, storage will have to be extra good to get it to the customer in good condition.

DUBLIN'S GLORY

Well-known personality Roland Clark not only helped found NZTCA, but was also involved in selecting walnuts. He imported some Carpathian walnut seeds, as they are very cold hardy. One of these grew into the tree now named Dublin's Glory.

At present this is the least available of the varieties named. It has come into prominence in the Lincoln trials for its high early yields. In orchard conditions the tree performs well. The nuts fall very cleanly, free of the husks, at harvest time, and come down within a very short space of time early in the harvest period. This allows growers to pick these nuts up first and get them out of the way before the majority of the nuts fall mid harvest.

Although the tree itself will take hard frosts in the winder, it flowers early so it is susceptible to spring frosts.
Dublin's Glory has a crackout of 42%, high enough to make it a good processing nut. It is also the most suitable for in-shell trade because it stores the best.

STAN

This tree was one of the many seedling trees Stan orchard grew on his farm in Marlborough. The mother tree is a small stunted tree in a very dry site dominated by other shelter trees. The few nuts that could be collected so impressed the gatherer that they were entered in the NZTCA competition at the 1982 conference in Christchurch, which they won. Since then, through budding and grafting, the variety is now grown throughout New Zealand.

Stan is primarily a processing nut, being medium to small in size, with a high crackout percentage of 46%, and an attractive pale kernel colour.

Implications for the Future

At present the NZ walnut trade is dominated by imported nuts from China. New Zealanders, who have been low consumers of walnuts, are about to discover the fresh taste of locally grown, high quality nuts.

"A Cracker of a Nut", a Christchurch based processor, is finding that there is a ready market for walnuts of guaranteed quality at a significant premium above the imported product. Of course the best way to ensure nut quality is to sell by variety.

As significant quantities of these named walnuts become available, the processor can promote particular varieties for particular uses. For example a restaurant owner wanting walnut halves for decorating cakes would buy Meyric halves for their good size and light kernel colour. Another customer wants walnuts to put into muesli. A good tasting long lasting variety like Dublin's Glory will last as long as the muesli packets on the supermarket shelves.

In fact supplying a good product is working so well, growers are having trouble producing enough nuts. There will be some frantic action in the background as growers respond to consumers asking for walnut by name.

http://www.treecrops.org.nz/knowl/archives/tcropper/walname.html
Created: 11 December 2003 - Updated: 2007 July 23