What was it all about?

This investment ran from 2015 to 2019 to progress genetic improvement for the Australian macadamia industry. It produced new cultivars that will provide the industry with an advantage over its international competitors, by increasing productivity through improved nut yield, disease resistance and tree health.

Specifically, the project evaluated 3555 seedling progeny that had been previously established and increased the second-generation population size by 10,000. Priority traits that were identified as important included high nut-in-shell yields per tree, small tree size, high kernel recovery (percentage of kernel to nut-in-shell), young trees that produce early fruit, and resistance to husk spot and other pests and diseases.

In 2019, five new selections were made from the Bundaberg Research Facility trials and these are currently being propagated for inclusion in the project Macadamia regional variety trials series 4 (MC17006). A further 18 elites were selected from a high-density trial at Nambour. These trees are being propagated for secondary evaluation at grower trial sites prior to inclusion in future regional variety trials.

To support adoption of varieties released from the breeding program, economic performance was evaluated by the project team. This information was shared with growers and stakeholders to aid the selection of varieties for new plantings and tree/orchard replacement.

ACT NOW

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

Read the economic evaluation of the macadamia breeding program, which compares newly released varieties with existing industry varieties.