Walnut Orchard Establishment in Uzbekistan: Layout, Spacing & Infrastructure

Walnuts in Uzbekistan come from household (dehqon) gardens, orchards and mountain forests. In 2022 the Ministry of Agriculture counted 18,700 ha of walnut plantations and reported 10,100 ha planted in 2021 and 1,100 ha in spring 2022; walnut was grown in practically every region, increasingly in intensive orchards, and the new industrial orchards were mainly of Chandler (EastFruit). The walnut forests, about 4,000 ha at 800 to 2,300 m in the Western Tien Shan and Pamir-Alai, are densest in Bostanliq district (2011 study).

Recommendations for new orchards in general, published in August 2026 on district portals of Navoi and Fergana regions, list Ideal at 6 x 6 m (277 trees per hectare) and Yubileyny at 7 x 5 m, and the Fergana list adds Tonkoskorlupy at 7 x 5 m; the tree count printed for 7 x 5 m does not match that spacing. FAO's 2004 walnut inventory gives Ideal's origin as Bostanliq and notes it as early maturing and high yielding. In 2022 the Ministry of Agriculture also named Bostanlik, Shakl N-86 and Chandler among the cultivars grown.

The recommendations call for plowing to 50 to 60 cm with a plantation plow before autumn planting; if that was not done, the field is plowed to 35 to 40 cm in spring and laser-leveled. Spring frost matters when choosing a site: growers put the damage from frosts in late February and mid-March 2021 at 5 to 50% of the walnut crop, depending on the region (EastFruit). In March 2022 the Ministry of Agriculture named walnut among crops a forecast cold snap could hit; EastFruit noted that the north flowers 15 to 20 days later.

The 2026 regional recommendations, written for orchards in general rather than for walnut, call for drip irrigation, depending on soil conditions, to keep the soil of newly planted trees moist through the growing season. Where drip is not yet running, a ring basin around each tree is filled with water, and the soil is kept moist with up to 12 to 14 waterings. They advise giving all mineral nutrients through the drip water, and drip systems were being introduced in walnut planting and care by 2022 (EastFruit).

EPPO lists codling moth and bacterial blight as present in Uzbekistan, and the plant quarantine inspectorate monitored codling moth with locally made pheromone traps (2017). EPPO does not list fall webworm or walnut husk fly for Uzbekistan. No Uzbek walnut thresholds were found in the sources read; University of California guidance times codling moth control from trap catches and degree-days.

OVE Europe sells ID DAVID and Mañez Lozano machines in Uzbekistan for orchard care: the ID DAVID ECOFEED spreads solid manure, the LAT&GO string mower controls weeds without herbicides, the Mañez Lozano Narrow Twister S6 sprays tall, dense canopies, and the ID DAVID V1 disc pruner makes vertical and horizontal cuts.

Walnuts in Uzbekistan are usually harvested in September and October (EastFruit, 2022). In 2021 the season began in early September and was at its peak by mid-month, and wholesalers bought new-crop walnuts in shell from growers and household plots. No Uzbek source found describes how the nuts are harvested, how much labor it takes or which machines are used.

Harvest weather varies by area: October brings 4 to 6 days of rain in most of the country and 7 to 9 near the mountains, and the first autumn frosts sometimes come in the second half of the month (Uzhydromet). University of California guidance starts harvest when a high percentage of hulls have split and completes pickup quickly to reduce the time nuts lie on the ground, which matters most where rain is likely.

In orchards planted for machines, mechanized harvesting can bring the crop in on time, with less risk of nuts deteriorating while they wait. Flory harvesting machinery is available in Uzbekistan through OVE Europe: a line runs from the VR700 Shaker, 34 Series Sweeper and 860 Harvester (the 490 is a smaller option) to the 1500 Conveyor Cart, ST14 Shuttle and 4840 Field Elevator, with the CP87 Conditioner optional.

No Uzbek source found gives hulling methods, drying temperatures or target moisture for walnuts. A 2021 EastFruit article on nut growing in Central Asia quotes a consultant who says nuts in the region can dry in natural conditions and keep without special, expensive stores. University of California guidance removes hulls with wet scrubbers and dries nuts in dryers within 24 hours to 8% moisture.

Uzbekistan exports mostly kernels: 8,917 t of its 9,855 t of walnut exports in 2024 (UN Comtrade via WITS). Gazeta.uz reported in April 2025 that from 1 August 2025 technical regulations and standards for food would no longer be mandatory in Uzbekistan, with sanitary rules (SanPiN) applying instead. Jessee, whose processing lines OVE Europe supplies, builds walnut hulling lines and drying, in-shell cleaning and sizing, and shelling systems.

Kernels sold in the EU must meet Regulation (EU) 2023/915, which sets 2.0 µg/kg of aflatoxin B1 and 4.0 µg/kg in total for nuts for direct consumption, and 5.0 and 10.0 µg/kg for nuts to be sorted first; since 2025 shelled walnuts must also show their country of origin (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2429). The EU recorded 2,263 t of Uzbek kernel imports in 2025, against 653 t in 2024 (Eurostat).

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.