National macadamia breeding and evaluation program (MC19000)

What was it all about?

This program delivered a strong pipeline of new macadamia cultivars with the potential to lift grower profitability and support the industry’s long-term sustainability. It produced a large pool of second‑generation breeding material and identified a group of elite selections with improved yield, tree size and nut quality. Several of these elite lines were progressed into regional field trials, and a small number were released to growers for clonal evaluation.

To achieve this, the national breeding program created and planted more than 5,500 new seedling progeny and evaluated over 8,000 trees across multiple trial sites in Queensland and New South Wales. Trees were assessed for traits important to growers, including yield, kernel quality, tree size and disease and pest resistance. From this work, 46 elite selections were identified, with 26 advanced into secondary testing across 14 trials. Additional work included industry field inspections, independent program review, and the use of genomic tools to speed up selection for key traits.

The project addressed the need for new macadamia cultivars to maintain Australia’s competitiveness in a high‑demand global market and to prepare for future challenges such as climate change. Existing varieties do not fully meet emerging needs around efficiency, orchard design and warmer growing conditions.

The outcomes are expected to give growers access to higher‑yielding, more efficient trees, including material better suited to warmer regions. Over time, this will support more productive orchards, improved resilience and stronger returns for the Australian macadamia industry.

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To learn more about the macadamia varieties produced by this investment, including information on how to access them, head to the Macadamia Innovation website.