RESEARCH & EVENTS
Meet the Researcher... Maria Jose Rubio-Cabetas
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SPANISH almond breeder and researcher Maria Jose Rubio- Cabetas is currently in Australia on a four-month sabbatical. She is based at the University of Adelaide where she is being supported by Cassandra Collins. Maria is currently the chair of the almond and pistachio group of the International Society for Horticultural Science( ISHS). Since 2002 she has been a researcher in the genetic improvement group of the Department of Plant Science of the Centre for Agri-Food Research and Technology( CITA) of the Government of Aragon. She told Kellie Hollingworth about the work that she’ s been involved in and what motivated her to visit Australia.
How long have you been involved in the almond industry? I have been involved in the almond industry since 2010. I’ ve worked with commercial orchards and nurseries. My role includes the plant breeders’ rights for CITA released plant material like Garnem rootstock and cultivars including Soleta. My PhD at CITA in 1993 was about interspecific crosses for rootstock development more tolerant to Root Knot Nematodes and this included a post doc training at INRAe in France. Since 2002, I have been responsible for the rootstock breeding program at CITA. I took over managing the cultivar breeding program following the retirement of Rafael Socias in 2014.
Who do you work for in Spain and what does your role involve? I co-ordinate the almond rootstock and cultivar breeding program at CITA with an emphasis on the application of molecular tools to select interesting traits. We have established the basis of the waterlogging tolerance in several
In A Nutshell- Autumn 2025 Vol 26 Issue 1
Spanish almond breeder and researcher Maria Jose Rubio-Cabetas has brought her expertise to Australia on a research sabbatical that has included visiting the Almond Centre of Excellence in Loxton.
Prunus rootstock and also identified genes involved in the perception and signaling of the drought stress response in Prunus. In the last five years I was involved in scion-rootstock interactions and in this study, we identified which architectural traits of commercially important scion cultivars are influenced by rootstock and which of these traits can be useful as descriptors of rootstock performance in breeding evaluations. This work was developed in collaboration with Grant Thorp from Plant Food Research. Now we are focusing on developing cultivars resistant to fungus diseases and to identify new sources of resistance.
Q. What are you hoping to see and do while you are in Australia? I would like to know the dimension of the breeding programs developed by the Almond Board of Australia and the University of Adelaide. I also look forward to better understanding the planting systems and acceptance by farmers of plant material, both cultivars and rootstock.
ACE Orchard Research Walk
Growers, farm managers and industry stakeholders are invited to a unique opportunity to engage with almond researchers at the ACE Orchard Research Walk 2025. This event on April 10 from 9am until noon, will feature a special presentation from María José Rubio Cabetas, an internationally recognised almond breeder, who is on sabbatical all the way from CITA Zaragoza and will provide insights into Spain’ s approach to breeding and how it compares to the Australian program.
Researchers with projects at the ACE Orchard will also be available at their trail site for an informal catch up. The research walk will allow growers to move semi-freely across the ACE Orchard providing opportunity to engage one-on-one with researchers. Register here.
Q. What has been the highlight of your trip so far? First at all, I am glad to see the almond breeding program started by Michelle Wirthensohn. We met in Spain in 2012. These cultivars are already well accepted in the market. I am looking forward to evaluating the progenies with Cassandra Collins. I have also enjoyed visiting the Almond Centre of Excellence in Loxton and seeing how it is managed in collaboration with the research institutes and university. I think it is the most effective way to work directly with the almond industry.