1. The Australian Macadamia
Improvement Program
Bruce Topp
QAAFI
Nambour QLD
Working together with the
Queensland Government
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

2. Components of Genetic
Improvement
• Breeding
• Regional variety trials (DAFF)
• Conservation
• Rootstock evaluation
• Husk spot screening (Akinsanmi and Drenth)
• Fruit spotting bug screening (Huwer and Maddox)
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

3. Components of Genetic
Improvement
• Breeding
• Regional variety trials (DAFF)
• Conservation
• Rootstock evaluation
• Husk spot screening (Akinsanmi and Drenth)
• Fruit spotting bug screening (Huwer and Maddox)
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

4. Breeding priorities
• Yield
• Husk spot
• Quality
• Fruit spotting bug
• Tree size
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

5. Two major obstacles to breeding
• Trees are large
– Planted at 200-300 trees/ha
– Expensive to replicate
• Trees long-lived
– Orchard life > 50 years
– Expensive to measure
mature yield
– Predicting the future?
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

6. Predicting the future?
What happens to trials?
• Pacific highway upgrade through Newrybar trial
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

7. Breeding
Timeline and
Stages of Testing
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

8. Two distinct stages of testing
1994 –Cross pollinations
1997- 3,000 progeny planted
2006 – Best 20 trees selected
Propagate best 20 for RVT
2008 – Regional Variety Trials (RVTs)
- 10 trials
- 2 stocks
- 6 replicates
2017 - Recommendations
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

9. Two distinct stages of testing
1994 –Cross pollinations
1st Stage
(seedling progeny) 1997- 3,000 progeny planted
2006 – Best 20 trees selected
Propagate best 20 for RVT
2008 – Regional Variety Trials (RVTs)
- 10 trials
- 2 stocks
- 6 replicates
2017 - Recommendations
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

10. Two distinct stages of testing
1994 –Cross pollinations
1st Stage
(seedling progeny) 1997- 3,000 progeny planted
2006 – Best 20 trees selected
Propagate best 20 for RVT
2008 – Regional Variety Trials (RVTs)
2nd Stage - 10 trials
(grafted trees)
- 2 stocks
- 6 replicates
2017 - Recommendations
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

11. First Stage Testing
Seedling Progeny
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

12. Breeding – first generation seedling progeny tests
• 3,000 progeny in 14 trials
• Evaluated 2000-2010
• Quantitative analysis (Craig
Hardner)
• Top 150 selected in 2012
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

13. Some trial sites are better than others
Cumulative NIS yield from Ages 3-8
(kg/tree)
20
15
kg / tree
10
5
0
EW 2
03
AM 01
YA 00
EG 02
0
BA 2
AM 2
03
03
AL 0
BA 2
Q 01
3
0
K0
0
0
0
0
S0
AM
AM
D
D
YM
LO
FF
FF
NO
NO
S
R
IN
N
N
BR
BR
YA
U
U
H
Q
D
D
N
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

14. Yield increase compared to ‘HAES 741’
Kernel Recovery NIS Yield
60 25
Maximum obtained within progeny
Maximum obtained within progeny HAES 741
HAES 741
50 20
40
15
kg / tree
% KR
30
10
20
5
10
0 0
total kernel recovery (%) cumulative (age 4-8) NIS yield at 1% moisture
Trait (BLUPs) Trait (BLUPs)
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

15. Second Stage Testing
Regional Variety Trials (RVTs)
lead by DAFF
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

16. 10 Regional Variety Trials
planted 2008
• Proserpine
• Mackay
Childers • Bundaberg (3 sites)
1200km
Hogarth Range • Alstonville
Mc Lean’s Ridges
• Macksville
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

17. Second crop at Childers RVT
Mean yield Minimum Maximum
(kg/tree) (kg/tree) (kg/tree)
Breeding 1.4 0.1 6.3
Selections
Standard 2.0 0.9 2.8
Varieties
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

18. Breeding
2nd Generation
Started 2011
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

19. Recurrent selection for yield
1st Generation
tons/ha
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

20. Recurrent selection for yield
Top 20 trees
1st Generation
use as parents
(in 2012)
tons/ha
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

21. Recurrent selection for yield
Top 20 trees
1st Generation
used as parents
in 2012
tons/ha
2nd Generation
tons/ha
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

22. Controlled Hybridisation
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

23. Reduced tree size
• Several dwarf
trees identified in
progeny
• One propagated
and continues to
express reduced
size
• Used as parent in
2011
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

24. Conservation
• 2 ex-situ trials
• Sampled 77 wild populations
• All 4 species now included
• 1,160 trees
• Studying
– Floral biology
– Disease/Pest resistance
– Oil profiles
– Zn & Se kernel variation
(Tim O’Hare)
– Graft/Cross compatibility
– Changes during
domestication
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

25. Species not domesticated
• M. jansenii
– Recently discovered
– 40 trees total
– Small nut
– Hybridised with integrifolia
• M. ternifolia
– Small tree
– Small nut
– Thin shell
– Hybridised with integrifolia
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

26. Hybrids with clean, white kernel
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

27. 60% kernel recovery
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

28. Summary
• Long term investment
• Priority is yield
• Almost there – 2017
• Predicted 30% increase in profitability
• 2nd generation commenced – similar gain
expected
• Other traits studied to allow industry to adapt
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

29. Acknowledgments
• B. Topp, C. Hardner, J. Neal, A. Kelly, A. Kilian, R. Daley,
D. Russell, P. O’Hare, A. Kilian, A. Drenth, F. Akinsanmi,
R. Huwer, C. Maddox, C. McConchie, S. Boyton, J.
Wilkie, D. Morrow
• Funding from HAL, AMS, QAAFI, DAFF, NSW DPI
• CSIRO was the lead agency for the project until June
2009
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry