Biometrical Methods to Reinforce Selection Efficiency in Breeding Programs for Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) Crop Improvement

Abstract

The regression of half-sib (HS) offspring compared to the mother plant from accessions of ‘Tonda Gentile Romana’, ’Nocchione’, ‘Tonda Gentile delle Langhe’, ‘Nociara’, ‘San Giovanni’, ‘Longue d’Espagne’, ‘Sivri A’, and ‘Karidati’, was used as a method to estimate heritability for the following traits: nut weight, nut width, nut shape index, seed weight, husk length and nut length of hazelnut landraces. Nut length showed the highest and significant offspring-one parent regression coefficient. The progeny from ‘Longue d’Espagne’and ‘Tonda Gentile Romana’ are the most promising for selection progress.