AusMac research hub puts rootstocks, flooding and crop losses on the October agenda

Macadamia growers heading to AusMac2026 can use its Research Hub to compare the questions behind orchard investment decisions. The organiser's published program lists 28 research posters and short presentations on production, pests and disease, breeding, technology and nutrition. The hub is scheduled for 21–22 October, within the 20–22 October event at Brisbane Showgrounds.

Rootstock choice, intensive-orchard productivity and losses between the orchard and processing shed feature in the poster list. Thursday's lunch presentations include young-tree survival under waterlogging and flooding, alongside work on husk rot and mature-nut abscission. These are announced research topics; the program does not by itself establish a yield improvement, a treatment recommendation or a result that transfers to every orchard.

For growers, the practical opportunity is to ask which sites and seasons were studied, what was measured and what remains uncertain before applying a finding locally. The Australian Macadamia Society also lists workshops on orchard nutrition and varieties. Check the organiser's current timetable before planning sessions: this brief reports the program available on 6 October, rather than findings from an event that has yet to take place.