What was it all about?

This project evaluated a range of almond rootstocks, assessing their compatibility to perform under various Australian growing conditions, to find new and improved varieties for the industry.

Australian almonds have traditionally been grown on Nemaguard rootstocks, but expansion of the industry into regions with varying soil types has highlighted the need for a greater range of rootstock varieties.

To boost productivity and the sustainability of the industry this project assessed a range of rootstocks for their salinity tolerance, nematode tolerance, and water and nutrient efficiency, as well as their growth habits, ease of propagation and compatibility with popular almond varieties.

As part of this project a trial was set up in typical Mallee soil at Lindsay Point in the Riverland growing region of Victoria. The first harvest from the trial occurred in the 2015/16 season.

With data collected relating to the performance of grafted almond varieties, the most promising rootstock lines from this project were to be further assessed as part of future work.

The ultimate goal – for this and future work – is to enable growers to lift yields by establishing more productive orchards.