$1m investment in Australian citrus

Funded by Hort Innovation’s citrus levy, a $987,000 project will assess new citrus varieties under Australian growing conditions and test citrus varieties for ‘trueness-to-type’. These assessments will take place in Dareton, New South Wales, and in Western Australia.

Hort Innovation Chief Executive Officer Brett Fifield said the project aims to measure tree attributes that are desirable for Australian growers and consumers both domestically and overseas.

According to Fifield, assessing citrus varieties will help growers identify varieties that can suit their production regions. The assessments will look at fruit quality, tree yield, fruit size and sweetness, and any potential issues.

Richard Byllaardt, Chair of Citrus Australia, said the research is an important investment for the future of Australian citrus. It will ensure that growers get the most out of their trees with varieties suited to Australian conditions, which could reduce input costs and maximise yields.

“In turn this means better returns for growers, better products for consumers and a more resilient citrus industry overall.”

The project will build on previous research in this area, and it will continue to benefit from valuable input from the Australian citrus industry along the way.

It is part of a suite of investments for the Australian citrus industry focused on variety and rootstock evaluation and breeding that also complements biosecurity-related projects to protect the citrus production base in Australia.

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