Hort Innovation’s Frontiers investment program is supporting a $41 million tree crop program, bringing together growers and plant scientists to accelerate the development of new almond, apple, citrus, macadamia and mango varieties.
The Frontiers program was introduced in June, with a goal to invest an additional $500 million over the next decade into research & development to bolster Australia’s $16.3 billion horticulture industry.
The tree crop program is one of the first projects to be announced through this investment, and will be a five year initiative led by a collaboration between Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Murdoch University, University of Queensland (UQ) and Western Sydney University (WSU).
The project aims to develop smaller, high-density orchards for higher yield, supported by automation to reduce the pressures caused by labour shortages. The new varieties will also feature highly desirable traits such as better storage and quality, higher nutritional content and climate resilience for sustainably-produced Australian-grown fruit and nuts.
Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield said this investment would prepare tree crop industries for a more productive and profitable future.
“Equipping plant breeders with the tools they need to develop genetics for the next generation of orchards will support the horticulture industry to enhance resilience to climate change and diseases, find efficiencies through the adoption of automation technologies, and increase productivity,” said Fifield.
“In the long-term, this program will enable the development of new varieties of almond, apple, citrus, macadamia and mango to ensure their long-term viability and global competitiveness.”
The program builds on more than five years of researching tree genomics and crop physiology to enhance orchard production systems and develop new tree crop varieties in collaboration with national levy and publicly funded breeding programs.
QUT program director Professor Peter Prentis said the program has a focus on maximising resources.
“To maximise space and resources in next generation orchards, this program will focus on the development of smaller, less vigorous tree varieties planted at higher densities,” Professor Prentis said.
“These smaller, high-density orchards will maximise yield per unit area and support the implementation of automated management tools that will help growers improve their productivity at reduced costs.”
“The research will then flow directly to active breeding programs that can use this knowledge and these tools to assist them in accelerating the development of new fruit and nut varieties for Australian producers.”
Hort Innovation and UQ are also collaborating on a separate macadamia project, aiming to protect the future of the Australian macadamia nut industry through a long-term breeding program using genomic selection, funded through the National Macadamia Breeding and Evaluation Program.
Macadamia Industry Variety Improvement Committee chair Lindsay Bryen said it is essential for industry to have access to varieties that are productive and profitable.
“As we move into the next generation of orchards, we need access to varieties that are designed for the latest production techniques and automation options, including having a small tree structure and high yields with sound commercial production and improved pest resistance,” said Bryen.
“Growers are focused on delivering consumers with what they are looking for in the most efficient way we can, maximising productivity and reducing costs.”
Additional collaborators in the new program include the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Queensland), Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (Western Australia), Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (Northern Territory), New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, University of Adelaide, University of Western Australia and AbacusBio – New Zealand.
