What was it all about?

This investment supported industry participation at the 2017 International Macadamia Research Symposium, held in Hawaii during the month of September – including attendance by six Australian students – along with side attendance at the 2017 American Society of Horticultural Science Annual Conference.

The research symposium was the first such event in many years, allowing much-needed extension of relevant information to the Australian macadamia industry. The symposium focussed on propagation, tree and fruit physiology, nutrition management, pollination, pest and disease management, orchard management, genetics and breeding, product development and developing production regions. There were also pre- and post-symposium tours to visit Hawaiian macadamia farms and research activities.

Learnings were brought back for the benefit of the Australian macadamia industry, with articles appearing in the levy-funded News Bulletin. This included a wrap-up of the event on p70 of the summer 2017 edition available to download from the Australian Macadamia Society website here. The event was also a chance to demonstrate the leadership of Australian industry in global macadamia R&D, while also identifying developing activities in new and emerging production regions, particularly China.