Marigoule is the name of a French hybrid of chestnut (synonym M.15 or CA 15), cross between a European chestnut (
Castanea sativa
The sweet chestnut (''Castanea sativa''), also known as the Spanish chestnut or European chestnut, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the Temperate climate, te ...
) and Japanese (
Castanea crenata
''Castanea crenata'', the Japanese chestnut or Korean chestnut, is a species of chestnut native to Japan and Korea. ''Castanea crenata'' exhibits resistance to ''Phytophthora cinnamomi'', the fungal pathogen that causes ink disease in several Cas ...
). In 1986, it originated from a Migoule orchard in
Ussac in
Corrèze
Corrèze (; ) is a département in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, on the bo ...
. Marigoule (a contraction of Marron of Migoule) is a very tasty chestnut. It should be planted in rather low altitude in very sunny areas and protected from the wind (up to 300 m elevation for South-West orchard orientation or up to 400 m elevation in South-East orchard orientation). Otherwise its productivity remains small. In
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, it is grown mainly South of the
Dordogne
Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...
and
Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne (, ) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.[Precoce Migoule The Precoce Migoule is a chestnut hybrid (CA 48), a natural cross between a European chestnut (Castanea sativa) and a Japanese chestnut (Castanea crenata). It was discovered by J. Dufrenoy at the orchard of Migoule in Brive-la-Gaillarde. The tree ...]
,
Maridonne,
Bournette,
Fertil,
Sauvage Marron,
Precoce Monteil and
Sucquette.
Marigoule has medium quality pollen. This cultivar can be a pollinator for most of the pollen sterile chestnut trees such as Colossal, Bouche de Betizac, and Marrone.
[Washington Chestnu]
accessed 2020 Marigoule female flowers may have difficulty getting pollinated if the weather is rainy at the end of spring. It therefore requires the presence of pollinizers (1 row out of 3 planted with Precoce Migoule). Under dry climate and with good pollinators, it is moderately productive. Chestnuts mature medium-early in fall. The nuts fall in the
bur
A bur (also spelled burr) is a seed or dry fruit or infructescence that has hooks or teeth. The main function of the bur is to spread the seeds of the bur plant, often through epizoochory. The hooks of the bur are used to latch onto fur or f ...
r. Nuts are large of bright red brown color that keep well. Once cured for a few days, nuts can be as sweet as candy and peel well. No pericarp splitting (double embryos) reported.
It takes 4–5 years for trees to start bear fruit, which should be considered when planting an orchard. Tree growth is vigorous but very demanding on the quality of the soil, which must be rich in organic matter.
Its fast growth and the quality of its wood make it interesting for reforestation. It is the hybrid that best resists
phytophthora
''Phytophthora'' (from Greek (''phytón''), "plant" and (), "destruction"; "the plant-destroyer") is a genus of plant-damaging oomycetes (water molds), whose member species cause economic losses on crops worldwide, as well as environmental dam ...
. It is also resistant to
canker
A plant canker is a small area of dead tissue, which grows slowly, often over years. Some cankers are of only minor consequence, but others are ultimately lethal and therefore can have major economic implications for agriculture and horticultur ...
but is sensitive to cold weather and root asphyxia.
References
{{Reflist
La lettre du châtaignier September 2008 (French)
* Sandra L. Anagnostakis, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Statio
CULTIVARS OF CHESTNUT 2013, accessed 2017
Chestnut cultivars
Edible nuts and seeds