varietal improvement and conservation the australian macadamia improvement program- bruce topp

Working together with the Queensland Government

The Australian Macadamia

Improvement Program

Bruce Topp

QAAFI

Nambour QLD

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

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

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

Breeding priorities

• Yield

• Husk spot

• Quality

• Fruit spotting bug

• Tree size

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

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

Predicting the future?

What happens to trials?

• Pacific highway upgrade through Newrybar trial

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Breeding

Timeline and

Stages of Testing

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Two distinct stages of testing

1994 –Cross pollinations

1997- 3,000 progeny planted

2006 – Best 20 trees selected

2008 – Regional Variety Trials (RVTs)

- 10 trials

- 2 stocks

- 6 replicates

2017 - Recommendations

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Propagate best 20 for RVT

Two distinct stages of testing

1994 –Cross pollinations

1997- 3,000 progeny planted

2006 – Best 20 trees selected

2008 – Regional Variety Trials (RVTs)

- 10 trials

- 2 stocks

- 6 replicates

2017 - Recommendations

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Propagate best 20 for RVT

1st Stage

(seedling progeny)

Two distinct stages of testing

1994 –Cross pollinations

1997- 3,000 progeny planted

2006 – Best 20 trees selected

2008 – Regional Variety Trials (RVTs)

- 10 trials

- 2 stocks

- 6 replicates

2017 - Recommendations

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Propagate best 20 for RVT

1st Stage

(seedling progeny)

2nd Stage

(grafted trees)

First Stage Testing

Seedling Progeny

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

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

Some trial sites are better than others

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Cumulative NIS yield from Ages 3-8

(kg/tree)

0

5

10

15

20

YAN

D00

YAN

D02

EG

YM

01

AM

AM

02

NEW

R02

BAFF02

AM

AM

03

DUNO

03

DUNO

00

ALL

O02

BAFF03

QBRS01

QBRS03

HIN

K00

kg

/ t

ree

Yield increase compared to ‘HAES 741’

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

total kernel recovery (%)

Trait (BLUPs)

% K

R

Maximum obtained within progeny

HAES 741

0

5

10

15

20

25

cumulative (age 4-8) NIS yield at 1% moisture

Trait (BLUPs)

kg

/ t

ree

Maximum obtained within progenyHAES 741

Kernel Recovery NIS Yield

Second Stage Testing

Regional Variety Trials (RVTs)

lead by DAFF

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

10 Regional Variety Trials

planted 2008

• Proserpine • Mackay

• Bundaberg (3 sites)

• Alstonville Hogarth Range

Childers

Mc Lean’s Ridges

• Macksville

1200km

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Second crop at Childers RVT

Mean yield

(kg/tree)

Minimum

(kg/tree)

Maximum

(kg/tree)

Breeding

Selections

1.4 0.1 6.3

Standard

Varieties

2.0 0.9 2.8

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Breeding

2nd Generation

Started 2011

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Recurrent selection for yield

1st G

en

era

tion

tons/ha

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Recurrent selection for yield

1st G

en

era

tion

tons/ha

Top 20 trees

use as parents

(in 2012)

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Recurrent selection for yield

1st G

en

era

tion

2

nd

Ge

ne

ratio

n

tons/ha

tons/ha

Top 20 trees

used as parents

in 2012

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Controlled Hybridisation

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

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

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

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

Hybrids with clean, white kernel

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

60% kernel recovery

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

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

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