Hazelnut Orchard Establishment in Armenia
No source found describes where Armenia's hazelnut orchards are, which cultivars they grow or how they are planted, and the national variety list published in 2019 includes no hazelnut. FAO's AQUASTAT profile (2008 survey) describes a highland continental climate with hot summers and cold winters, most cultivated land lying between 600 and 2,500 m, and annual precipitation of 200 to 250 mm in the Ararat Valley and over 1,000 mm in high mountains.
In Oregon, hazelnut blooms in winter: Oregon State University (OSU) gives January through February as the peak pollination season, varying with weather. OSU notes that fully elongated catkins can freeze at −9.4 °C and the female flowers of the most cold-sensitive varieties at −12.2 °C, and that late-April frosts in low-lying areas often damage cluster buds and young shoots. As hazelnut cannot set nuts with its own pollen, OSU advises three pollinizer cultivars, shedding pollen early, mid and late, on about 11% of the trees.
In the mechanized system this guide follows, the trees are not shaken: the nuts fall to the ground, where they are swept and picked up. OSU therefore advises making the orchard floor as smooth as possible at least a year before the first commercial harvest, removing soil mounds around the trunks and leaving room to turn at row ends. It also notes that orchards on steep slopes often produce less and are harder to harvest; the machines suit level orchards planted for them, not wild hazel or scattered trees.
Practical Tips for Hazelnut Orchard Establishment
Plant compatible pollinizers: Oregon State University advises three cultivars that shed pollen early, mid and late, since hazelnut cannot set nuts with its own pollen.
Avoid heavy, shallow or poorly drained soils: Oregon State University warns that hazelnut does not tolerate wet soils in the growing season.
Avoid frost pockets: Oregon State University reports that late-April frosts in low-lying areas often damage cluster buds and young shoots.
On sites of 500 m and above, as most Armenian cropland is, choose varieties little hurt by late frosts, as Türkiye's Hazelnut Research Institute advises.
Smooth and firm the orchard floor at least a year before the first commercial harvest, as Oregon State University advises, so sweepers can work up to the trunks.
Choose level ground and leave room to turn at row ends: Oregon State University notes that steep orchards are harder to harvest; check machine needs with OVE Europe.
Recommended Establishment Stages
Hazelnut Orchard Care & Maintenance in Armenia
Summers differ sharply by place. In normals from Armenia's Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center published by WMO (averaging period not stated), Yerevan gets 9 mm of rain in July and 8 mm in August, with mean maxima of 33 and 32 °C, while Dilijan gets 66 and 51 mm, with maxima near 24 °C. AQUASTAT's 2008 profile found about half of the cultivated area irrigated, with surface irrigation on over 90% of the area equipped for it. No Armenian source on irrigating hazelnut was found.
EPPO lists the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) as present in Armenia with a restricted distribution: it was first found in Yerevan in 2020 and in the Lori region in 2021, and no source found reports it on hazelnut in Armenia. OSU reports that its feeding can cause empty kernels early in the season and shriveled or corked kernels later. EPPO also reports that a new hazelnut powdery mildew, Erysiphe corylacearum, has spread in the Caucasus since it was first seen in 2013, though it lists no Armenian record.
OSU notes that all hazelnut varieties produce suckers, and Türkiye's Hazelnut Research Institute advises clearing them at least twice a year. OVE Europe sells ID DAVID and Mañez Lozano machines in Armenia for orchard care: the ID DAVID SURFEED spreads solid manure, the ID-XL weeds the tree row with an adjustable sensor, the Mañez Lozano Mega Twister S6 sprays tall, dense canopies, and the ID DAVID ID-REX disc pruner makes lateral and topping cuts.
Recommended Orchard Care & Maintenance Stages
Practical Tips for Hazelnut Orchard Care & Maintenance
Plan irrigation before planting where summers are dry: Yerevan's normals give 9 mm of rain in July and 8 mm in August.
Remove suckers at least twice a year, in autumn and in late May or early June, as Türkiye's Hazelnut Research Institute advises.
Monitor for the brown marmorated stink bug, found in Armenia in 2020: Oregon State University links its feeding to empty nuts and shriveled kernels.
Watch the upper leaf surfaces, shoots and nut clusters for powdery mildew: EPPO reports Erysiphe corylacearum spreading in the Caucasus.
Plant pathogen-free nursery trees and water young trees in their first year: Oregon State University links both to fewer trees lost to bacterial blight.
Weed the tree row without herbicides using an in-row weeder such as the ID DAVID ID-XL, and keep the orchard floor level for harvest.
Hazelnut Harvesting in Armenia
No Armenian source describes when or how hazelnuts are harvested. FAO's 2023 sector review reports that 60% of Armenia's farms are smaller than 1 ha and lists labor constraints and a low level of mechanization in orchards among the weaknesses of the fruit and vegetable sector. In orchards planted for machines, mechanized harvesting can bring the crop in on time, with less risk of nuts deteriorating while they wait.
In the mechanized system this guide follows, as in Oregon, the trees are not shaken: OSU explains that, with their very thin bark and shallow roots, they would be damaged. In Oregon the nuts drop from September into October onto a floor leveled and flail-mowed beforehand, and are swept into windrows and usually picked up in several passes. No source gives Armenian drop dates; the climate normals show rain on 9 to 10 days a month in September and October at Dilijan and Vanadzor, against 4 and 7 days in Yerevan.
Flory harvesting machinery is available in Armenia through OVE Europe for orchards planted for machines. The self-propelled Flory V62 Sweeper sweeps the nuts into windrows, and the self-propelled 8772 Harvester picks them up; Flory lists a mud brush as standard for hazelnuts on the 8772. The 1500 Conveyor Cart receives the nuts, the ST14 Shuttle carries them and the 4840 Field Elevator loads trailers for the processing site.
Hazelnut Harvest Workflow (Recommended Equipment)
Practical Tips for Hazelnut Harvesting
Level, smooth and flail-mow the orchard floor before nut drop, as Oregon State University describes, so the sweeper can work right up to the trunks.
Pick up fallen nuts in several rounds: for hand collection, Türkiye's Hazelnut Research Institute advises rounds every 3 to 5 days, as nuts left lying turn moldy.
Gather fallen nuts before autumn rain where possible: British Columbia's hazelnut guide warns that a crop harvested wet causes storage problems.
Pick up often where autumn rain is frequent, as at Dilijan and Vanadzor: a Pacific Northwest handbook says mold counts appear to rise 2 weeks after a fall rain.
Keep bins of harvested nuts out of the rain until drying: Oregon State University notes that bins left in the rain before drying can turn moldy.
Sweep only fast enough to keep ahead of the pickup machine, as British Columbia's guide advises, and clean harvesters between orchards.
Get your recommended harvest setup
Enter orchard size, spacing, terrain, and target throughput—we’ll suggest a practical harvest workflow and equipment lineup.
Hazelnut Post-Harvest Handling & Processing in Armenia
No Armenian source describes how hazelnuts are husked, dried or stored. In British Columbia's guide, nuts are husked, cleaned, washed, sanitized and dried to 5 to 8% moisture within 24 hours of harvest; the guide notes that some varieties release the nut from the husk, while in others the husk must be separated mechanically. The Codex code of practice for tree nuts advises drying as soon as possible and warns that nuts left to sun-dry face a greater risk of fungal contamination.
UNECE's standard for hazelnut kernels (DDP-04, 2025 edition) allows at most 6.0% moisture and 0.5 to 2.5% moldy kernels, depending on the class. The Codex code advises storage below 70% relative humidity and at 0 to 10 °C, both where possible. OSU research found drying at 43 to 49 °C and 40% relative humidity efficient while keeping quality.
For sales to the EU, Regulation (EU) 2023/915 sets 5.0 µg/kg of aflatoxin B1 and 10.0 µg/kg in total for hazelnuts for the final consumer or used as an ingredient, and 8.0 and 15.0 µg/kg for nuts to be sorted first. Jessee, whose processing lines OVE Europe supplies, builds drying, in-shell cleaning and sizing, and shelling systems, and it established product lines for hazelnuts in the 1980s.
For general information only. Information may become outdated and does not replace site-specific professional advice. Consult a qualified agronomist and confirm equipment suitability with OVE before acting.
Practical Tips for Hazelnut Post-Harvest Handling & Processing
Dry hazelnuts promptly after harvest: in British Columbia's guide they are dried to 5 to 8% moisture within 24 hours.
Never leave husk-on nuts in thick layers or heaps: Türkiye's Hazelnut Research Institute warns that they heat up and rot.
Where possible, dry nuts in a dryer rather than in the sun: the Codex code warns that sun-dried nuts face a greater risk of fungal contamination.
Where possible, store dried hazelnuts below 70% relative humidity and at 0 to 10 °C, as the Codex code advises, to limit fungal growth.
Size nuts into narrow grades before cracking: Türkiye's Institute advises 10 to 20 sizes at 0.5 mm steps to reduce kernel damage.
Test lots for aflatoxins: Armenian researchers report that recent studies in Armenia found aflatoxins in nuts, among other foods.
Recommended Post-Harvest Handling & Processing Stages
Plan your post-harvest line
Estimate tons/day, cleaning & drying capacity, storage needs, and cost/kg—then build your equipment plan in phases.