NORTHERN NUT GROWERS ASSOCIATION, INC.

In an effort to answer questions like these, the NNGA has set up cultivar database to compile information about varieties of each nut, varieties of pawpaw, and varieties of persimmon. Now all we need is your information to fill it. Each NNGA member has been mailed a Cultivar Inventory form. If you have previously submitted information, it should already be in the database. Please update or add any missing information before returning it.

An online form is available for those who have not previously submitted information to the Cultivar Inventory. The form can be found at http://www.nutgrowing.org/subcultivar.html. The data is sent automatically to the Cultivar Inventory Committee.

David Johnson, former President of NNGA, devoted much of his tenure to establishing these cultivar committees. He has prepared the material below to explain the concept of "cultivar."

What is a Cultivar?

Nut trees do not "come true" from seeds. In other words, if you plant a 'Thomas' black walnut seed, the resulting tree will bear black walnuts that are different from 'Thomas' black walnuts. This occurs because the seedling gets only 1/2 of its genes from the 'Thomas' mother tree; the other half come from whatever pollen pollinated the female flower on the 'Thomas' tree in the early spring. As result, a SEEDLING grown from a 'Thomas' black walnut is NOT a 'Thomas' black walnut!

The original 'Thomas' black walnut tree is called the ortet, or mother tree. If you graft a twig from the 'Thomas' ortet onto another black walnut rootstock, you get a genetically identical copy (above the roots) of the 'Thomas' black walnut. Such a genetically identical copy of the ortet is called ramet. There is only one ortet of 'Thomas' black walnut, but there can be many ramets.

Taken together, the ortet plus all the ramets of 'Thomas' black walnut is agroup of genetically identical plants called a clone. If a clone is judged to be valuable, it is given a name. A named clone is called a cultivar.

Bryan Dayton and Joe Hietter are currently the cultivar Inventory review committee co-chairs and answer common questions about the cultivar database.

Common questions:
 
When will the database be available for my use?
The information you send will be added to the database and should be ready for general use by spring 2008. Specific details will be provided in the March 2008 Nutshell.

What is the Cultivar Inventory data base?
The Cultivar Inventory data base is a vast collection of nut tree information that will be accessed through the NNGA web site. It is filled with information about NNGA growers, where they live, their growing environments, and the nut trees they successfully grow.

Why is it useful?
It informs both aspiring and established growers about nut trees that grow successfully in their area. It connects growers with similar interests and projects. It also catalogs specific cultivars that could be lost with the death of a grower.

What information can I get from the Cultivar Inventory?
Name and location of growers, description of growing sites, the tree cultivars grown, number and age of producing trees, tree health and nut yield ratings, and other helpful information can be found on the website.

What information is not on the website?
Contact information such as addresses, phone numbers, and emails are not available on the website. This is to protect the NNGA members' privacy. Members can find contact information for growers in their membership directory. This may also encourage non-members that visit the website to join NNGA so they can enjoy benefits such as the membership directory.

What if I have a question?
If you have a question regarding filling out the Cultivar Inventory form please contact Bryan Dayton (435) 760-5819 or Joe Hietter (614) 218-4529.

Thank you for assisting in the completion of this exciting project.

Joe and BryanCultivar Inventory review committee co-chairs

If you have questions about a particular cultivar contact the appropriate Inventory Chairperson below.