The relationship between orchard crowding, light interception, and productivity in macadamia
L. M. McFadyen A G , S. G. Morris B , M. A. Oldham C , D. O. Huett A , N. M. Meyers D , J. Wood E and C. A. McConchie EA NSW Department of Primary Industries, Centre for Tropical Horticulture, PO Box 72, Alstonville, NSW 2477, Australia.
B NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wollongbar Agricultural Institute, Bruxner Highway, Wollongbar, NSW 2477, Australia.
C Retired.
D Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus, 2 George Street, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, Qld 4001, Australia.
E CSIRO Mathematics and Information Sciences, GPO Box 664, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
F CSIRO Plant Industry, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, 306 Carmody Road, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia.
G Corresponding author. Email: lisa.mcfadyen@agric.nsw.gov.au
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 55(10) 1029-1038 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR04069
Submitted: 23 March 2004 Accepted: 27 August 2004 Published: 25 October 2004
Abstract
Orchard crowding in the macadamia industry is common and there has been concern that it reduces yield and quality. To investigate this we monitored yield, nut quality, tree volume, and light interception in macadamia orchards (Macadamia integrifolia Maiden and Betche) that represented a range in crowding.
The predicted rate of change in yield/ha with time remained positive, i.e. yield increased over time, for orchards with crowding levels up to a tree volume of 43 500 m3/ha and light interception of 94%. There was a trend for the rate of yield change to decrease with increasing tree volume/ha. For orchards with tree volume >43 500 m3/ha the rate was negative, indicating a slight decline in yield over time. There was no evidence of a detrimental effect of orchard crowding on percentage kernel recovery, unsound kernel, or grade 1 kernel.
It appears that macadamia, unlike many other orchard crops, can maintain yield and quality up to a high level of orchard crowding. The implication of this is that timing of canopy management and optimum canopy dimensions will be dictated by management requirements for machinery access and effective spray coverage before yield decline becomes an issue.
Additional keywords: shading, yield decline, kernel.
Acknowledgments
We thank all the growers who allowed us access to their orchards to collect data; Russell Priddle; Daryl Firth and Ian Purdue for technical assistance; and Horticulture Australia Limited and the Australian Macadamia Society for funding.
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