Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) have introduced tissue culture protocols for avocado rootstocks to Chile, marking the start of a broader agricultural collaboration.
Dr. Chris O'Brien from UQ's Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation visited Grupo Hijuelas to demonstrate the clonal propagation techniques for four avocado rootstocks licensed to the company. The technology, developed in Professor Neena Mitter's laboratory, enables the rapid multiplication of rootstocks adapted to Latin American growing conditions.
"These avocado rootstocks will be a game changer for Grupo Hijuelas," said O'Brien. "Tissue culture will allow them to rapidly develop clonal rootstocks which are suited for Latin American growing conditions. When you drive past Chilean avocado orchards, you notice the different heights of the trees due to the variable seed stock. In the future, because of our technology, those orchards will be uniform."
He added that specific rootstocks, such as Velvick, are tolerant to Phytophthora, a major pathogen in avocado production, while others address challenges with soil salinity.
According to O'Brien, the Chile visit is the beginning of a longer-term collaboration with Grupo Hijuelas. "To see a big company like this translating our research was great. It was quite satisfying and rewarding after years of working to establish the protocols in the laboratory. This is just the beginning of our collaboration with the company, which is keen to work on other things, like developing a protocol for other avocado rootstocks and breeding trees of the future."
The tissue culture system was developed with funding from the University of Queensland, the Department of Primary Industries, Anderson Horticulture, Jasper Farms, and Millwood Holdings, and is licensed by UniQuest, UQ's commercialization company.
Source: Dairy News Australia