The European hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.), is an important temperate zone nut tree species for which there is an expanding demand worldwide. Historically, the Eastern filbert blight disease (EFB), caused by the ascomycete fungus Anisogramma anomala, has prevented commercial hazelnut growing in Tennessee. As part of a UTC hazelnut cultivar trial, EFB resistant hazelnut cultivars and numbered selections from Oregon State University and Burnt Ridge Nursery were planted in 2003 at Smith Farm in Ooltewah, TN. Hazelnut trees are wind-pollinated, dichogamous, and self-incompatible, which means they are not self-fertile, their male and female blossoms may open at different times, and they must be cross pollinated. The low seed set observed in the UTC trial may result from the local weather patterns and/or from a lack of adequate pollinizers. I hypothesized that the pollen release and the pistil emergence (female flower receptivity) are not occurring at the same time and therefore sufficient pollination is not occurring amongst the cultivars in the trial. I also hypothesized that the pollinizers may not have the correct S-alleles (genetic loci that regulate compatibility) for successful cross pollination. I collected phenological data from thirteen cultivars in the orchard every week during the normal pollination months of January, February, and March 2016. Furthermore, I constructed a table of S-alleles for all varieties in the orchard and compiled records for the weather for the orchard for the months of my study. The results of my one season of observation do not support the hypotheses but do provide important baselines for further investigation
