Chestnut

Abstract

The genus Castanea , chestnuts and chinkapins, belongs to the family Fagaceae , which includes other important timber producing genera such as Quercus and Fagus . The genus Castanea is divided into three geographically delimited sections with at least seven consistently recognized interfertile species: 4 species in Asia ( C. mollissima , C. henryi , C. seguinii , and C. crenata ), two or more species in North America ( C. dentata , C. ozarkensis , and C. pumila ) and one in Europe and Turkey ( C. sativa ). The two most important diseases of chestnut are ink disease ( Phytophthora ) and chestnut blight ( Cryphonectria ). Resistance to these is the major objective for rootstock breeding in Europe and scion breeding in North America. In both cases, the source of resistance was Asian species. European breeding programs developed resistant hybrid rootstocks, which are propagated by stooling, cuttings, or in vitro culture. A major pest of chestnut is the gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus whose control is based on the spread of parasitoids but also on the selection of resistant cultivars. For nut production, the most important breeding objectives include the following: good horticultural traits, product quality, suitability to storage and processing, and ease of peeling. For timber, important characters include wood quality, rapid growth, and nonchecking of wood (ring-shake). Molecular maps have been developed, which has expanded the genetic knowledge of the chestnut. An effi cient genetic transformation protocol for C. sativa through the coculture of somatic embryos with different strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens has been described.

Genetic evidence that Chinese chestnut cultivars in Japan are derived from two divergent genetic structures that originated in China

“…Because of its good nut quality, ‘Riheiguri’ and its relatives have been used in breeding programs, resulting in the release of new hybrid cultivars such as ‘Shuhou’ and ‘Mikuri’. On the other hand, trials to release Japanese chestnut cultivars with the easy-peeling pellicle trait from Chinese chestnut have not yet succeeded [ 4 ].…”

“…These two species have large differences in both genetic and morphological properties. Japanese chestnut has large fruit size, adherent pellicle, and comparatively good yield, whereas Chinese chestnut has small nut size, easy-to-peel pellicle, and low yield [ 4 ]. In addition, the yellow brown shoot and pubescence at the nut tip are characters specific to Chinese chestnut and can be used to distinguish between the two species.…”

“…Interspecific hybridization has been used in chestnut breeding programs all over the world [ 4 , 5 ]. The breeding objectives of such programs have varied depending on the species.…”

Development of High-Density Genetic Linkage Maps and Identification of Loci for Chestnut Gall Wasp Resistance in Castanea spp.

“…However, this species is susceptible to two main diseases, ink disease ( Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands) and canker blight ( Cryphonectria parasitica Murr.) [ 2 ]. In addition, most of the C. sativa cultivars are susceptible to chestnut gall wasp ( Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu).…”

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms as Practical Molecular Tools to Support European Chestnut Agrobiodiversity Management

“…are farmed in temperate areas of Europe/Asia Minor, Japan/the Korean peninsula, China and North America, respectively. However, in recent years, many interspecific hybrids were used for fruit and timber production or as rootstock [ 3 ].…”