2014 Australian Macadamia Society 40th Anniversary Industry Conference

1. Orchard and canopy management (Integrated Orchard Management)
Prepared by: Dr Grant Thorp
Title: Macadamia canopy management -a fresh perspective on our opportunities
Date:Thursday 16 October 2014

2. Macadamia canopy management ... a fresh perspective on our opportunities
Dr Grant Thorp
Plant & Food Research Australia Pty Ltd

3. Key points from review:
1. Challenges facing macadamia are typical for an
under developed horticultural crop
2. Growing systems need further development to
increase economic performance
3. Improvements need to be based on fundamental
knowledge of crop behaviour and physiology
Canopy Research Review 2013
by Dr Stuart Tustin, Plant & Food Research NZ
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4. 1. Macadamias are still a relatively under
developed horticultural crop
You are not alone !!
Avocado Almond
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5. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1975 1985 1995 2005 2013
Apples (QLD)
Kiwifruit - GREEN (NZ)
Kiwifruit - GOLD (NZ)
Mangos (QLD)
Avocados (QLD)
Macadamia (kernel)
Almond (kernel)
2. Improved growing systems required to
increase economic performance
Primary source: Australian Bureau of Statistics , Zespri, AMS and ABA
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6. 3. Crop behaviour and physiology
1. Structural : functional relationships of the tree
• plant architecture (training and pruning systems)
• flowering, fruiting and alternate bearing
2. Manipulating canopy light relations at the orchard
level (planting systems)
3. Opportunities to use rootstocks – control of tree size,
vigour and floral precocity (time to first crop)
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Extensive, cost driven growing systems are a race to the bottom
Intensified growing systems are a race to the top!
“If you keep on doing the same thing ... then you will keep on
getting the same result!!”
Key features of intensification:
• Growers willing to test new ways of doing things and willing
to set new production targets
• Industry invests in breeding of new cultivars and rootstocks
Successful crops have intensified growing systems

8. Evolution of the apple orchard
> 50 years of apple development
Central leader Slender pyramid and dwarfing rootstocks
Multiple trunks Open vase with trunks tied together
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9. Success based on light management and carbon
partitioning – aim is to have more fruit and less wood
Productivity is determined by the:
1. Amount of light intercepted by the tree
2. Distribution of this light within the leaf canopy
3. Portion of that light which is partitioned to support fruit growth
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Apple yields (t/ha)
% Total light interception
(from Lakso, 1994)
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10. To achieve the same result with macadamias will
require new ways of thinking
Avocado Almond Macadamia
“Issues are the same but industry responses can be different”
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11. Key questions for macadamia growers to ask of
their current “large tree” growing systems
• What is the effective productive surface area of the tree?
• What proportion of the orchard canopy contributes to yield?
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12. Recent success with intensifying avocado
growing systems
Progress in New Zealand, California and Chile to develop “small
tree” high density avocado orchards based on the slender
pyramid training system
New Zealand Chile
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13. Successful pruning and training systems start
in the nursery
Nursery production for ‘Hass’ Slender Pyramid trees
Retain just a single growing point on each plant …
… trunk becomes more vigorous and naturally produces the required
Slender Pyramid shape with minimal or no pruning
… are there similar opportunities with macadamia?
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14. What are the opportunities for macadamias?
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Remove the barriers that have stopped growers from
replacing their “large tree” growing systems:
– Cost and quality of trees (if replanting)
– Time taken for trees to produce their first crop (precocity)
– Time to break even at orchard block level (planting system)
– Availability of new cultivars and rootstocks

15. www.plantandfood.com.au
Plant & Food Research Australia Pty Ltd
Thank you
2014 AMS 40th Anniversary Industry Conference proudly presented by
Grant.Thorp@plantandfood.com.au