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  Taking the Australian date industry forward with locally sourced tissue-cultured planting material quantity

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Date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) were first grown in Australia in the 1880s, however due to low planting stock and limited production expertise, expansion across Australia was limited. The Australian date palm industry remains small today, comprising 50 commercial farming operations predominately growing the Barhee date variety, with about 100 hectares under production.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, planting material became more readily available, and in 2021, Australian date farmers produced an estimated 100 tonnes of mixed date varieties valued at about $2 million post-farmgate. Production volume is expected to slowly rise as an increasing number of plantations reach maturity.

The Australian date industry, though poised for growth, faces a unique challenge in its reliance on imported plantlets, which incurs high costs, poses biosecurity risks, and restricts access to cultivars best suited to Australian conditions. In addressing this gap, this project has undertaken the critical task of developing locally viable tissue culture protocols for elite date palm varieties – Barhee and Medjool – aiming to reduce dependence on imports and establish a self-sustaining supply chain. This work reflects the industry’s need for affordable, reliable and locally adapted planting material to achieve scalability and sustainability.

Through careful research and stakeholder collaboration, the project achieved significant milestones: it developed optimised protocols for date palm propagation that ensure genetic stability, minimised contamination risks, and produced high-quality plantlets. These findings are transformative for the industry, as they pave the way for localised, resilient cultivation practices. Growers will benefit from a consistent supply of elite cultivars, reducing costs and biosecurity threats while enhancing the competitive edge of Australian date products on the global stage.

To capitalise on these advances, the project recommends several strategic actions for the industry. These include the adoption of tissue culture protocols by growers, investment in training, scaling up of production facilities, and ongoing collaboration between researchers, industry and government bodies. By embracing these recommendations, stakeholders can collectively work toward a robust, self-sustaining industry that is economically viable and environmentally resilient.