What is it all about?

This project provides for the ongoing operations, maintenance and expansion of the Almond Centre of Excellence (ACE). 

The ACE is a 60-hectare experimentation and demonstration orchard that is the home of the almond industry’s R&D activities. Located in Loxton, South Australia, the Centre is a collaboration between industry, researchers and commercial suppliers that showcases best production practices and technologies and pushes the boundaries in search of significant developments in production systems. 

The key research areas of the project which require ongoing maintenance include:

•  Amendments to improve soil
•  Improved rootstock-varietal-spacing combinations
•  Nutrition status assessment.
•  Water management
•  Plant nutrition
•  Production cost management through input efficiency
•  Pest and disease control
•  Soil health
•  New varieties
•  Pollination and bee health
•  Bird management
•  Extreme weather events
•  Product quality and food safety issues
•  Biosecurity.

The overall aim of the project is to bring world’s best practice to the Australian almond industry. This will be achieved by providing the infrastructure and equipment to facilitate orchard-based trials and provide a demonstration site for the knowledge and technologies sourced from the Hort Innovation R&D program, overseas researchers, commercial suppliers and grower innovation. In doing so, the industry has moved towards the widespread adoption of production practices that will enable it to successfully compete against the US industry.