National Apricot Breeding Program

SARDI's irrigated crops section led the National Apricot Breeding Program in conducting research, variety development and product evaluation.

Superior apricot varieties have successfully been released to both the Australian fresh market and dried apricot industries. These provide better flavoured apricots to consumers and a competitive advantage to growers.

Background

Dried apricot varieties

The dried apricot industry needed to develop new varieties to improve the cost structures of production, and both sustain and grow the apricot industry. Through improved dry ratios, these varieties had to:

  • maintain full colour, with the traditional half cut style
  • improve overall cropping reliability
  • boost fruit quality and yield, both on tree and post processing
  • be robust enough to withstand new mechanised labour-saving production systems.

Fresh apricot industry

The fresh apricot markets in Australia depended upon imported Californian and European varieties. Although these are large, firm and attractive, they compromise on flavour – either too acidic or flavourless.

The reduced eating quality resulted in declining market share for apricots and widespread consumer dissatisfaction.

Outcomes

This 35-year-old conventional apricot breeding program made over 37,000 crosses while actively breeding. In 2007, SARDI developed the final crosses that produced 4,500 new apricot seedlings.

A joint project was undertaken by the dried and fresh apricot industries to finalise selections from this resource and complete their evaluation toward commercialisation.

Test groups identified 17 apricot varieties which focussed on increased fruit sugars in breeding. These varieties:

  • improve the eating quality
  • deliver a consumer-focused product to retail shelves
  • are well adapted to Australian growing conditions
  • have acceptable post-harvest handling characteristics
  • enable market development
  • improve industry cost structures.

The best of the lines arising from these evaluations are now available commercially, and many are capable of performing within both fresh and dried apricot industries. These varieties enable Australian growers to:

  • compete against cheaper, inferior products
  • grow per capita consumption.

Information for growers

See the summaries below to inform your decisions on using apricot varieties in export and domestic markets:

SARDI Apricot Varieties (PDF 399.2 KB)

Fresh market varieties

Dried varieties

Partnerships

This program was possible through long-term support from Australian Dried Tree Fruit Inc (ADTF) and its predecessors.

In 2012, SARDI and the ADTF invited Summerfruit SA (formerly the South Australian Fresh Fruit Growers Association) to invest in developing the final cohort of apricot varieties. This partnership secured the benefits of superior apricot varieties for Australian industries.

Contact

Darren Graetz – SARDI
Phone: 0401 122 141
Email: darren.graetz@sa.gov.au

Order apricot trees

Order SARDI's apricot tree varieties through these licenced production nurseries:

Balhannah Nursery
Email: enquiries@balhannahnurseries.com.au
Phone: 08 8389 4557

Mossmont Nursery
Email: mossmont@bigpond.com
Phone: 02 6963 4562

Further nursery licences are available. A signed non-propagation agreement is required prior to tree delivery.

Page last reviewed: 22 Dec 2022

 


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