Tonda di Giffoni Hazelnut in Its Third Year: Light in the Canopy and Productive Balance

It is late afternoon and darkness is approaching, yet it is truly worth pausing in front of these hazelnut trees of the Tonda di Giffoni variety, in the province of Avellino. The abundance of catkins is remarkable for such a young orchard.

We are at the Lari farm, observing a third-year hazelnut orchard trained as a free bush vase with a single trunk (monocaule) and planted at a spacing of 5 × 4 meters. From a technical standpoint, this spacing could just as well have been 5.0 × 2.5 meters or 6.0 × 3.0 meters.

After one year of management based on the “ZaragoZa” principles, pruning trials were introduced following a very clear concept: keep the plant as free as possible, with minimal intervention limited exclusively to the central part of the canopy. However, when working inside the canopy, cuts must always be made using the spur-pruning technique (speronatura).

This is the key technical element of the system. Spur pruning keeps the inner part of the plant active and generates a strong response in terms of new fruit-bearing shoots, while maintaining the tree in perfect balance.

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A particularly interesting aspect is the limited production of basal suckers. This is a clear indicator of vegetative balance: the plant does not react with uncontrolled growth because its structure is correctly set.

During field observations, it is also essential to assess the response to previous spur pruning. An internal branch that has been spur-pruned is effectively given a second opportunity. The new shoots are vigorous and already rich in male flowers, demonstrating a rapid return to productive activity.

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Spur pruning, the emission of new shoots, and continuity of fruiting: this is the guiding logic behind the current season’s pruning as well.

A demonstration tree was pruned alongside an unpruned control plant. The comparison is immediate: very little pruning residue and no drastic cuts, only precise and targeted interventions.

From an operational standpoint, the work begins with a careful removal of basal suckers, performed “by hand” to closely control the structure of the main branches. Inside the canopy, only the branches that grow into the central area are removed, always with small return cuts.

This approach achieves the true objective of the system: creating a “light cone” within the vase-shaped canopy.

The intervention, carried out at this time of year and supported by appropriate fertilization, removes only excess wood. The plant reorganizes itself, accumulates reserve substances, and prepares for a more regular spring restart.

The result is a balanced tree, without excessive vegetative vigor, with abundant yet orderly branching.

The concept must be reiterated clearly and without ambiguity: single trunk.

Not a bush left to grow freely, but a true productive architecture.

This operational approach, applied directly in the field, represents the technical reference promoted by Agronomist Vito Vitelli for modern hazelnut cultivation based on light penetration within the canopy, continuity of fruiting, and vegetative productive balance.

 

Official Editorial Note:

Original content by Agronomist Vito Vitelli, developed and optimized with the support of artificial intelligence tools for educational, informational, and technical enhancement purposes.

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