| Full title | National pineapple breeding and evaluation program |
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| Status |
Current
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| Dates | Start date: July 2018
End date: June 2023 |
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| Project leader | Garth Sanewski, (07) 5381 1333
garth.sanewski@daf.qld.gov.au |
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| Aims | The program covers: - using the main commercial and advanced varieties developed in previous DAF breeding programs, including the successful Hawaiian variety MD-2
- developing molecular markers for root disease resistance and flowering control
- using a low level of in-breeding as a novel approach to pineapple breeding and includes some new genetics not previously available in Australia
- developing high-yielding varieties with greater resistance to root disease, natural flower initiation and fruit translucency with a range of flavours suited to the Australian market
- providing the industry with varieties suited to the main production regions including South East Queensland, central coastal Queensland and Far North Queensland.
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| Benefits | The program results will include: - developing high-yielding varieties with good-eating quality to enhance sustainability of the pineapple industry and provide the means to better compete with imported products
- providing the industry with the products to expand production and improve profitability
- mandating a controlled marketing system (in the commercialisation strategy) to ensure better control over product quality and intellectual property
- collecting data on heritability and various parent combinations to further improve our understanding of pineapple genetics
- developing germplasm with superior traits for fresh fruit use to enrich the Australian pineapple germplasm collection.
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| Methodology | The program will develop and plant a population of 35,000 seedlings on industry farms, including: - small plantings of 5,000 seedlings at:
- Far North Queensland (Townsville district)
- Central Queensland (Yeppoon district)
- Wide Bay (Bundaberg-Maryborough)
- 20,000 seedlings planted in South East Queensland, mainly on summer fruiting schedules.
- establishing small trials on DAF’s Maroochy Research Facility.
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| Funding | DAF and Hort Innovation |
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| Contact details | Contact the Customer Service Centre |
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