March 27, 2015
Australia is the world’s second biggest almond producing country after the U.S., exporting the majority of its production to India. However, with the threat of colony collapse disorder (CCD) and verroa mite infestations threatening bee populations, it is increasingly important to develop new, commercially viable varieties of almonds that not only don’t rely on pollinators, but are better suited to Australia’s climate, while also outperforming current varieties in regard to yield, disease resistance, and kernel size and quality.
Today, the most widely grown variety of almond is the Nonpareil. This variety however, needs other varieties and bees in order to produce, meaning that orchards are not producing up to their full potential.
The Almond Breeding (AB) Program which is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Ltd (HIA) and the Australian Government, and is led by Dr. Michelle Wirthensohn, a Horticulture Australian Research Fellow at University of Adelaide’s Shcool of Agriculture, Food and Wine, has for years been selectively breeding the best progeny of the Italian self-fertilizing almond variety with cultivars from the U.S. and Spain, and has successfully bred a combination of the desired traits in experimental trees.
Tens of thousands of trees have been bred, (two thirds of which have been through the primary evaluation phase), that have a target yield which is 10% above that of Nonpareils, are self-fertilizing, and have improved disease resistance. Some of the best selections have moved on to the program’s tertiary plantations at three large trial sites, and are scheduled to come into production in 2016, which should give a better indicator of the variety’s potential for output.
The program plans to commercialize five new varieties later in 2015 with applications for plant breeder’s rights (PBR) and U.S. Plants Patents currently being initiated – three fo which are self-fertilizing and out-yield Nonpareil’s by as much as 10%, and plans to release five superior varieties by 2018.
To receive relevant news stories with summaries provided by GAI Research & Insight, subscribe to Global AgDevelopments, our free weekly enhanced eNews service
Let GAI News inform your engagement in the agriculture sector.
GAI News provides crucial and timely news and insight to help you stay ahead of critical agricultural trends through free delivery of two weekly newsletters, Ag Investing Weekly and AgTech Intel.