Temperate Fruits

CHESTNUT

Taxonomical classification

Family = Fagaceae
Genus = Castanea
Species = dentata
Basic chromosome = 12

Introduction

• The chestnut is similar to the acron of oak. The chestnut trees are growing in temperate climate of the world for more than 4000 years for beauty, fuel and shelter.
• The sweet chestnut is a nutritious low in fat and rich in vitamin B.
• Freshly harvested nuts contains about 50 per cent moisture, 40-42 per cent carbohydrates, 2.9 per cent proteins and about 1.5 per cent fats.
• In addition to good food source to human being, chestnut also provides food for number of wild life species. Its wood is durable and used for timber and furniture work
• Chestnut and chinquapins are exception to all other nut trees in that they contain little oil and are high in carbohydrate particularly in starch.

Area and Production

• There is no organized plantation of chestnut in India, Only stray plantation exist and some plants grows wild in the forest of Himachal Pradesh, Darjeeling and Khasi hills.
• Leading countries in the chestnut production are USA 526000MT, China 101000MT, Turkey 99000MT; Korea70000MT Italy 53000MT; Japan 48000MT and Spain 31000MT;
• Total world production of chestnut is nearly 477,568 metric tons in an area of 18430 ha plantation with average productivity of about 1.84 T/ha (FAO,2008).

Flower and fruits

• The Chinese chestnut is latest tree to bloom. The flowers are produced in two kind of catkins borne on current season shoots near the terminal portion of the shoot.
• The fruit of the Chinese chestnut is borne in a spiny involucre known as bur.
• Three nuts are usually produced in each bur (upper, left and right )
• The bur is a vegetative structure that encloses the nuts or fruits. Botanically, each nut is a complete fruit
• The shell of the nut develop from the ovary wall.
• The kernel of the nut is a young embryo plant that develops from the fertilized eggs of ovule.
• The edible portion of the kernel is made up of two fleshy cotyledons and minute internal growing points of shoots and root.
• The kernel is enclosed in a membranous covering called the pellicle, which originate from the integument of the ovule.

Soil and climate

Soil:

• Chestnut can be grown in all types of soil but it grows best in well drained sandy or sandy loam soil.
• The soil should be moderate to slightly acidic. The chestnut trees withstand moderate drought after well establishment.

Climate:

• The chestnut can be grown in a wide range of climate in temperate areas.
• It is as hardy as peach and can withstand as low as -29oC temperature in deep dormancy.
• It requires less chilling to break bud dormancy in spring. Buds respond quickly to warm temperature and thus become subject to damage by late spring frosts.