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)


Breeding priorities

• Yield

• Husk spot

• Quality

• Fruit spotting bug

• Tree size


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?


Predicting the future?

What happens to trials?

• Pacific highway upgrade through Newrybar trial


Breeding

Timeline and

Stages of Testing


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


Propagate best 20 for RVT






- 10 trials

- 2 stocks

- 6 replicates




1st Stage

(seedling progeny)






- 10 trials

- 2 stocks

- 6 replicates




1st Stage

(seedling progeny)

2nd Stage

(grafted trees)

First Stage Testing

Seedling Progeny


Breeding – first generation seedling progeny tests

• 3,000 progeny in 14 trials

• Evaluated 2000-2010

• Quantitative analysis (Craig

Hardner)

• Top 150 selected in 2012


Some trial sites are better than others


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’


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


10 Regional Variety Trials

planted 2008

• Proserpine • Mackay

• Bundaberg (3 sites)

• Alstonville Hogarth Range

Childers

Mc Lean’s Ridges

• Macksville

1200km


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


Breeding

2nd Generation

Started 2011


Recurrent selection for yield

1st G

en

era

tion

tons/ha



1st G

en

era

tion

tons/ha

Top 20 trees

use as parents

(in 2012)



1st G

en

era

tion

2

nd

Ge

ne

ratio

n

tons/ha

tons/ha

Top 20 trees

used as parents

in 2012


Controlled Hybridisation


Reduced tree size

• Several dwarf

trees identified in

progeny

• One propagated

and continues to

express reduced

size

• Used as parent in

2011


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


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


Hybrids with clean, white kernel


60% kernel recovery


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


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


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

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