« All Events

Chestnut Chat: Chestnut Cultivation in Türkiye: Current Status and Future Perspectives

October 9 @ 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Cover page for Chestnut Chat: Chestnut Cultivation in Türkiye
Cover page for Chestnut Chat: Chestnut Cultivation in Türkiye

Join us on Friday, October 6, 2026, from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM (Eastern), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat webinar.

Featuring special guest Dr. Burak Akyüz.

Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) has a long history of cultivation in Türkiye, where they hold significant economic, ecological, and cultural importance. Beyond their contribution to rural livelihoods, chestnuts are deeply rooted in Turkish culinary traditions, local festivals, and regional identities. This presentation will provide an overview of chestnut cultivation in Türkiye, highlighting its historical and cultural significance, current production status, major growing regions, and economic importance. Particular attention will be given to traditional and newly developed cultivars, genetic resources, and ongoing breeding and hybridization programs aimed at improving productivity, nut quality, and resistance to major diseases and pests. The presentation will also address the key challenges facing Turkish chestnut production, including chestnut blight, chestnut gall wasp, climate change, and limitations in modern orchard management. Finally, recent advances in cultivar development, propagation techniques, and sustainable cultivation practices will be discussed, together with future perspectives for strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of the Turkish chestnut sector.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE (via Zoom Webinar)

Pre-registration is required to attend this event. Pre-register here. After registering, you will receive an email with a unique URL link to join the event. You can also add the event to your calendar from the webinar registration approval page. The meeting will open 15 minutes prior to the start time to allow an audio and video test.

Pre-Register Here

Presenter

Headshot of Dr. Burak Akyüz, man with dark hair, beard and mustache, smiling, wearing black blazer and white t-shirt.

Dr. Burak Akyüz

Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture at OndokuzMayıs University in Samsun, Türkiye

Bio
Burak Akyüz, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture at OndokuzMayıs University in Samsun, Türkiye. His research centers on chestnuts, with additional work on hazelnuts and walnuts. He focuses on in vitro propagation, rootstock breeding, and graft compatibility. His doctoral research evaluated the rootstock potential and graft compatibility of interspecific hybrid chestnut genotypes. He participated in chestnut interspecific breeding programs that have led to registered cultivars. He led a TÜBİTAK-funded project developing conventional and bioreactor-based micropropagation protocols for clonal chestnut rootstocks. He also applies AI and machine-learning approaches to model plant stress responses and optimize tissue culture conditions. From June 2016 to January 2017, he worked with Prof. Dr. Dennis Fulbright at Michigan State University. He has 64 publications, including articles in Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture, Planta, European Journal of Plant Pathology, and Horticulturae, where he served as a guest editor. He has also contributed chapters to The Chestnut Handbook and Achieving Sustainable Cultivation of Tree Nuts and was an invited speaker at the VII International Chestnut Symposium in Spain in 2023. https://avesis.omu.edu.tr/burak.akyuz

Details

Related Events