Tonda Gentile Trilobata (Tonda Gentile Delle Langhe)

Tonda Gentile Trilobata, also known as Piedmont hazelnut, is the most famous and most highly valued Italian hazelnut variety in the world, originating from the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Several years ago, under the pressure of Protected Geographical Indication, or PGI, regulations, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and European registers changed the variety name to the official designation Tonda Gentile Trilobata. The name Langhe is legally reserved exclusively for nuts harvested in that specific region, while planting material worldwide is now sold under the name Tonda Gentile Trilobata. In professional literature and the global industry, it may still be found under its historical name, Tonda Gentile delle Langhe. In world fruit growing, it is considered the absolute gold standard and the highest-quality hazelnut variety on the planet. Due to its unsurpassed organoleptic properties, it is protected in the EU by a Protected Geographical Indication, or PGI, and holds by far the highest price and premium status on the global market.

It is a fully cross-pollinated variety with pronounced protogyny. It cannot set fruit with its own pollen, so the presence of compatible pollinator varieties in the orchard is essential. Since it flowers very early in spring, with female flowers opening significantly before the male catkins, it requires strictly precise and compatible partners. It is distinctly incompatible with Tonda Gentile Romana, as they share the same sterility alleles, S2S7, and cannot pollinate each other. The best, biologically synchronized, and field-proven pollinators for this variety are Nocchione, Cosford, Daviana, and Camponica. The variety itself naturally has low pollen germination capacity, so it is a weak pollinator for other varieties.

It grows as a shrub of moderate to medium vigor that naturally tends to form a considerable number of basal root shoots. It gives exceptionally good, uniform, and stable results when grown as a single-trunk tree by grafting onto Turkish hazel rootstock. Productivity is regular, stable, and very high, but it depends directly and completely on the presence of suitable pollinators within the trellis row. It responds very well to standard pruning aimed at improving ventilation and light penetration inside the canopy.

It belongs to the group of early hazelnut varieties. In our region and under continental climatic conditions, it ripens very early, at the end of August and in early September.

Harvesting takes place at the end of summer. A major pomological advantage of this variety is that the husk, or involucre, is the same length as the nut or slightly longer, but it opens completely during ripening. Due to this botanical trait, mature nuts fall out of the husk completely, easily, and naturally, dropping massively to the ground, which greatly facilitates, speeds up, and reduces the cost of mechanical collection with vacuum harvesters, without the need for subsequent husking.

In a dry, cool, and well-ventilated space, unshelled nuts can be successfully stored for 6 to even 12 months. Due to the exceptionally stable chemical composition of its fats and the very low tendency of the oils to become rancid, shelled kernels of this variety can be stored in the industry for the longest period without any loss of their unique aroma.

The nut is medium-sized, with an average weight of around 2.3–2.6 g, exceptionally uniform on the tree, and regular in shape, attractive, roundish-spherical to slightly triangular, or trilobed, with a gently rounded tip. The shell is thin but exceptionally firm, pale chestnut in color. The kernel is medium-sized, with an average weight of 1.1–1.3 g, light cream in color, firm in texture, distinctly sweet, and luxuriously aromatic. It is characterized by a high kernel ratio of around 45–47%. It is the absolute and unsurpassed leader in the global and domestic premium confectionery industry because, after roasting, or blanching, the thin kernel pellicle separates easily and completely, over 98%, while the kernel develops an intense, recognizable aroma and premium taste. This makes it the most sought-after hazelnut for the production of premium chocolates, gianduja creams, and luxury hazelnut pastes.

It is moderately resistant to external factors. It absolutely does not tolerate humid, heavy, compacted, and foggy lowland sites that favor the development of bacterial and fungal diseases, where the tree declines rapidly. It performs best on gently undulating, sunny, warm, and highly ventilated hillside sites. It requires standard and regular preventive chemical protection against hazelnut bacteriosis and the hazelnut weevil, Balaninus nucum. It has good resistance to winter frosts during full dormancy.

The root system is surface-level and fibrous when grown from its own shoot, as a shrub, so irrigation is required during dry summers. When grafted onto Turkish hazel rootstock, however, it develops an exceptionally deep, powerful taproot that tolerates prolonged summer droughts extremely well, provides high tree stability, and completely prevents the appearance of root suckers.

Our hazelnut plants are produced in two premium forms: as trained one- or two-year-old own-rooted shoots for bush-form cultivation, or as highly sought-after grafted hazelnuts on Turkish hazel rootstock, Corylus colurna, for tree-form cultivation, which guarantees the absence of troublesome basal shoots, easier mechanical cultivation, and exceptional orchard longevity.