Scientists aim to breed easier-to-crack macadamias with more nut, less shell
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Professor Bruce Topp s research aims to improve production and profitability for the macadamia industry.
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If you ve ever risked your fingers while hitting a macadamia with a hammer, you ll know that the nuts can be tough to crack, yielding a small but tasty kernel inside.
Key points:
Macadamias have three layers: the outer husk, the shell and the inner kernel
Scientists aim to breed nuts that have tougher husks, thinner shells and larger kernels
Some of Australia s brightest horticultural minds are trying to change that by selectively breeding for macadamias with thinner shells, larger kernels and tougher exterior husks to protect the nuts from birds and insects.
Aboriginal organisers of a Brisbane Australia Day protest say insulting comments made by Prime Minister Scott Morrison about the arrival of the First Fleet could make this year s rally the largest yet. Thousands of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people will march from Brisbane s CBD to Musgrave Park on Tuesday for the annual Invasion Day protest. Organisers say the anti-Australia Day event is growing each year, and tip this year s turnout could be the largest on record following Mr Morrison s comments last week. The Prime Minister drew widespread condemnation after he described Cricket Australia s decision to drop references to Australia Day as pretty ordinary , and claimed the arrival of the First Fleet wasn t a particularly flash day for the people on those vessels either .
Macadamia researchers are breeding thinner shells for bigger kernels and tougher husks for resisting pests.
The University of Queensland’s Professor Bruce Topp said these combined attributes would boost Australia’s $270 million industry, which earns $190 million in export income annually.
“Two thirds of every harvested kilogram is in the weight of the macadamias’ extremely tough shells. That’s a lot of wasted productivity,” Professor Topp said.
“The goal for many growers is to produce less shell and more kernel from each nut but with the shell still tough enough to resist pests.”
Macadamias are native to south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales but are grown commercially in places including Hawaii, South Africa and Brazil.
Highly problematic for public trust : Australian political donations revealed
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A surge in donations at the last federal election has taken the resource industry’s political payments to $136.8 million over two decades and a new analysis has named the sector as the biggest donor in Australian politics.
Mining and gas companies ramped up their spending on political parties in recent years to outstrip property developers and other big donors, led by a funding blitz from coal and iron ore magnate Clive Palmer.
Mining and gas companies ramped up their spending on political parties in recent years, led by a funding blitz from Clive Palmer.
Orange capsicums help combat blindness but you won t find them easily in shops
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The orange pigment in orange capsicums is the source of a blindness-busting compound.
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Introducing orange capsicums to the menu would address deficiencies of a chemical compound which helps prevent Australia s leading cause of blindness but hardly any Australian farmers are growing them.
Key points:
One in seven people aged over 50 have signs of macular degeneration
A lack of demand for orange capsicums has led to a lack of supply
Research by the University of Queensland (UQ) has found orange capsicums are by far the richest source of the orange pigment zeaxanthin, a carotenoid which accumulates in the back of the eyes to protect against blue light and, therefore, macular degeneration.