Nut Talk

Breeding bolsters macadamia industry profits

New varieties emerging from the macadamia breeding program could increase profitability across the whole macadamia supply chain by 30 per cent. According to Project Leader, CSIRO’s Dr Craig Hardner, the best of the 20 new macadamias selected could produce double the yield of current commercial varieties.“Kernel quality seems to have also been improved through the breeding program and this may reduce the level of reject kernel prior to roasting,” Dr Hardner said. Former Deputy Chief of CSIRO Plant Industry and current Horticulture Australia Limited’s (HAL) Chair, Dr Nigel Steele Scott was part of the team that initiated the project in 1992 with a long-term set of breeding goals aimed at improving macadamia profitability.“It is really exciting to see how this project has developed, kept focus and is now delivering. All of us involved in this, now and in the past, can be proud that we have probably made the most significant progress in the domestication of any Australian native plant,” Dr Steele Scott said. The selected macadamias come from crosses made between macadamias from native populations in Australia and varieties from Hawaii developed from Australian seed. The wealth of macadamia’s genetic material in the Australian bush can be used to breed better commercial macadamia varieties suited to Australian conditions. Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries will now run trials of the selected macadamias in different regions to confirm the elite performers and their utility.“These trials will ensure growers get the most profitable varieties when they become commercially available in about eight years,” Dr Hardner said. Growers are enthusiastic about the selections and are hoping to get involved in the early trials.“These new varieties will help keep Australian producers competitive in export markets where we compete against countries with lower labour costs,” said Mr Kim Jones, Macadamia Industry Development Manager.This research is done by CSIRO in partnership with Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries and NSW Department of Primary Industries. The project was facilitated by HAL in partnership with the Australian Macadamia Society and was funded by the macadamia levy.Source: csiro.au
Publication date: 10/29/2007