According to a brand-new research study, most of the worlds business macadamia nuts come from one single tree in the town of Gympie, Australia. Were not discussing one gigantic tree– heres what I indicate.
Macadamia nuts are a delicious crispy treat and a healthy ingredient in many desserts, however have you ever questioned where macadamia nuts come from? By that I mean, what tree they come from?
Credit: Flickr, Richard Ashurst.
From Australia, going global
Macadamia nuts have long been an important source of food for the Aboriginal individuals who lived in these locations. Nevertheless, in the 19th century, these nuts started a journey that would turn them into a worldwide sensation.
Or rather, as a new research study recommends, they were cloned from one tree in Australia.
Macadamia nuts. Image credits: Marko Verch/ Flickr.
Essentially, producers cloned the trees from Hawaii. However the trees from Hawaii were themselves cloned from trees in Gympie, Queensland, Australia.
In industrial orchards, macadamias are primarily reproduced through implanting. Every implanted tree is genetically identical to its moms and dad, leading to a homogenous orchard with limited genetic variety.
These new manufacturers took their cultivars from Hawaii. However heres the catch: the trees were cloned.
Tracing its history back to Australia, the macadamia nut has an intriguing tale to inform.
A few entrepreneurial explorers gathered macadamia nuts and planted trees in Hawaii, where the conditions were suitable. By the 1880s, a number of tree spots were already growing in Hawaii.
Macadamia is not simply one species– its in fact four types. When were talking about macadamia nuts, its almost always one species: Macadamia integrifolia, originally discovered in the subtropical rainforests.
A tough nut to fracture
The research study was released in Frontiers in Plant Science.
Environmental factors, such as land development, have actually led to the risk status of a number of wild macadamia species. Conservation efforts are now more vital than ever, with initiatives to determine and maintain old macadamia trees harboring uncommon DNA. These efforts are not practically conserving a species; theyre about protecting a hereditary heritage that might be essential to the nuts future.
The scientists took hundreds of DNA samples from macadamia trees in Australia and compared them to samples of commercially grown trees from Hawaiʻi (that make up around 70% of the worlds international business production).
This suggests that macadamia plantations are very uniform genetically. This uniformity, while advantageous for consistent production, puts the entire crop at increased risk for illness and climate change effects. Something comparable happened to bananas– growers depended on a single cultivar, and because of illness, that cultivar went extinct.
In plain contrast to their cultivated equivalents, wild macadamia trees in Australia display a rich hereditary tapestry. This diversity is a natural defense reaction, permitting these trees to much better endure environmental tensions. The research studys findings highlight a possible reservoir of hereditary traits that might be utilized to expand the genetic base of business macadamias, therefore boosting their durability.
A few entrepreneurial explorers collected macadamia nuts and planted trees in Hawaii, where the conditions were appropriate. By the 1880s, a number of tree patches were already growing in Hawaii. Many Hawaiian macadamia trees bore genetic markers that led back to a specific population in Queenslands Gympie Region. In plain contrast to their cultivated counterparts, wild macadamia trees in Australia display an abundant genetic tapestry. Preservation efforts are now more important than ever, with efforts to determine and preserve old macadamia trees harboring unusual DNA.
But Australian macadamia nuts are also in a little bit of difficulty.
Weve been cloning the same tree or couple of trees to produce many of our macadamia nuts if this is the case. In addition to being an unusual scenario, this likewise highlights a prospective problem.
The majority of Hawaiian macadamia trees bore hereditary markers that led back to a particular population in Queenslands Gympie Region. This narrow genetic base is thought to stem from simply a few trees– or possibly, a single one.
Macadamia flowering. Image credits: Tatters/ Flickr.
