Base Temperature Comparisons for Leafing Date, Pistillate Flower Receptivity, and Pollen Shedding in Persian Walnut

Leafing dates and the male and female bloom periods in Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) vary with cultivars and years. Changes in phenological phases and the process of passing through the phenological stages could be explained by the growing degree days (GDD) if the minimum base temperature (Tb) were determined. In this study, the long-term phenological data of some walnut cultivars derived and/or grown in Hungary and Iran were used to determine the Tb values for leafing date (LD), pistillate flower receptivity start (PRS), pistillate flower receptivity end (PRE), and start and end of the pollen shedding period (PSS and PSE, respectively). The GDD were calculated (with 0.1 °C precision) for the LD and PSS with respect to the earliest cultivar as well as for PRS compared to LD and PRE. Furthermore, the GDD were reckoned for PSE based on PRS and PSS of the same cultivar in each year. The analysis of the data revealed that for the LD, PRS, and PRE, the Tb5.5 with the highest correlation was shown to be the most appropriate. For the PSS and PSE, the best correlation was observed at Tb0 in both countries. The strongest coefficients were observed (0.72 for Iranian and 0.8 for Hungarian conditions) between GDD with Tb of 5.5 °C for PRS and LD. The less correlation was observed between LD and PSS (0.5 for Iranian and 0.57 for Hungarian conditions). The correlation coefficients between GDD and leafing date were the same (0.52) in both countries. Cultivars involved in the trial required more GDD in Iran than in Hungary.