FROM THE EXECUTIVE
From the Executive...
Alan Hoppe, ABA Chairperson and Tim Jackson, ABA CEO
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The
ABA is committed to developing a budwood program that maximises the chance of those new trees being propagated from independently verifiable virus-free material. We believe our program will add value to redeveloped or new orchards.
Expanding industry budwood program
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The Almond Board of Australia has identified the need to ramp up the industry led budwood program. Over the years the budwood sites have long provided the bulk of the virus-tested quality material to nurseries to propagate trees in demand. During two key planting booms- 2005-08 and 2016-2019- the industry was transformed into a major stakeholder in horticulture across the southern Murray Darling Basin. From 2000 to 2026 plantings have increased from 3,500 hectares to almost 71,000 hectares. Ensuring growers purchase trees with the optimal chance of high productivity, the ABA introduced a tree standards document to assist with purchasing trees and also supplied the large volume of virustested buds to nurseries. In more recent times that proportion has reduced as new varieties outside the ABA program have won favour with growers. The emerging acknowledgement that replant is likely to be driven by a range of self-fertile varieties has led to the ABA entering discussions with breeders and license-holding nurseries around expanding the budwood program to include these popular varieties. We are pleased to say that the
In A Nutshell- Spring 2026 Vol 27 Issue 3
response from nurseries and breeders has been productive and are now in the process of upgrading our budwood facilities and program to build further confidence and trust within the supply chain. Virus testing budwood is expensive and time consuming. We contend that doing this through an independent peak body like the ABA saves nurseries money and provides the highest possible assurance that the buds supplied are clean. We will continue to work with the various American-based breeders and our key nurseries to develop a collaborative arrangement that ensures the rights of all parties are protected while maximising the health prospects of the trees. The ABA’ s recent study tour to California, which featured 21 stakeholders from across the industry, devoted a lot of time to learning more about varieties and rootstocks that might be suited to Australian conditions. Regardless of the decisions made by various growers as the industry embarks on a replant phase that could see 40 % of trees replaced in the next five to 10 years, the ABA is committed to developing a budwood program that maximises the chance of those new trees being propagated from independently verifiable virusfree material. We believe our program will add value to redeveloped or new orchards. The opportunity for owners and nurseries to clearly demonstrate that trees have been propagated with ABA certified material will be a key point of difference that formalises the quality of the orchard’ s provenance.
Conference
The upcoming biennial Haifa Australian Almond Conference in Adelaide promises to deliver a dynamic program the goes over three days instead of two. The consistent feedback from delegates over the past two conferences that they would prefer one stage and more time for networking. So, in response we will have expanded our trade exhibit area to include a piazza-styled meeting area in the middle while also devoting dayone to our domestic and export sales. Driving demand is our primary focus, so understand the various markets and the consumer trends will be discussed by some of the leading expert in the industry. We will also conduct an interactive 90-minute masterclass on pest and disease on this first day.