Hazelnut, stronger plants to withstand stress
Two special fertilization interventions for stronger, more productive hazelnut orchards
During summer, hazelnut trees face the most critical conditions: intense heat, drought, nutritional imbalances, and high pathogen pressure. Under these circumstances, both yield and quality risk being severely compromised.
Let’s explore two intervention strategies to boost the summer resilience of hazelnut: one focused on managing abiotic stress and the other on strengthening the structural tissues of the plant.
Summer stress: heat and drought challenge hazelnut
In this season, high temperatures and water shortage cause physiological imbalances that can reduce the hazelnut’s ability to support fruiting. Already above 34–35 °C, photosynthesis slows dramatically, leaf stomata close, and the metabolism enters a stress phase.
The plant shows symptoms such as chlorosis, leaf curling, and drying, which reduce the active photosynthetic surface and therefore production efficiency. Early fruit drop and smaller nuts are also observed, directly impacting shelled yield.
To help the plant to maintain productivity and quality, it is essential to act early with tools that increase tolerance to environmental stress.
Weakened defenses: the link between stress and hazelnut diseases
Thermal and water stress can weaken the plant’s natural barriers, making it more vulnerable to pathogen attacks. Dehydrated and structurally weak tissues can become easy entry points for diseases.
For this reason, the goal is not only to defend but to strengthen the hazelnut tissues through a nutritional approach that helps promote overall plant health.
Reinforcing plant tissues, improving metabolic efficiency, and maintaining osmotic balance are key actions that increase the plant’s passive resistance and support the success of plant protection strategies with agrochemicals.
Bio-Help Plus™ and Microfol Combi® to counter heat stress
To face summer stress, Biolchim has developed a strategy based on two complementary products: Bio-Help Plus™ and Microfol Combi®.
The first is a biostimulant based on glycine betaine, trehalose, and plant extracts rich in zeatin, which helps maintain cellular osmotic balance and preserve metabolic functions under extreme conditions.
The second is a fertilizer, a mix of chelated micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, B, Mo) that helps prevent nutritional deficiencies and supports fruit development during critical growth phases.
Both products, compatible and authorized for organic-compliant farming, are foliar-applied at 1–2 kg/ha, with weekly repetition if adverse conditions persist. Preventive application is key to more resilient plants and stable yields.
Loker® Aid: functional nutrition to support plant defense
Beyond controlling environmental stress, it is essential to strengthen the plant structurally to improve its passive resistance.
Here enters Loker® Aid, a biofortifier based on plant extracts, copper, and boron, formulated to thicken plant tissues, optimize the plant’s nutritional status, and enhance physiological defenses.
Approved for organic-compliant farming, Loker® Aid helps restore balance between growth metabolism and stress response mechanisms, promoting the development of more compact, greener, and stronger plants.
Applied by foliar spray at 2–4 L/ha, it is ideal when combined with chemical protection treatments, starting from early growth stages and throughout the crop cycle. It contributes to building more solid hazelnut orchards, less susceptible to adversities.
Integrated resilience: productivity and quality are built in summer
Building hazelnut resilience is no longer just good agronomic practice: it is a necessity. Summer conditions require targeted and integrated interventions capable of supporting the plant physiologically, nutritionally, and structurally.
The synergy between Bio-Help Plus™, Microfol Combi®, and Loker® Aid represents a more effective and sustainable strategy to manage hazelnuts in summer, limit the impact of heat stress and adversities, and maintain high production quality even in increasingly challenging climatic scenarios.
For personalized technical support and advice on the best strategies for your hazelnut orchard, contact Biolchim’s Technical Service.
We are here to help you make your plants stronger and more resilient.
