Summary

Australian Bush Plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) fruit are currently being harvested from the native population for Aboriginal domestic use, production of food products and as a natural vitamin C source. Whilst the popularity of the fruit for these products is increasing, supply is determined by the limitations of native harvesting. To meet demand beyond traditional use, the development of tree farm systems is required. This project aims to coordinate a collection of Terminalia ferdinendiana material as a first stage to enable an assessment of the genetic and fruit quality variability, so that it can be optimised for product production, be the source of plant material for the development of tree farm enterprises and used for training the local indigenous communities.

Program

New and Emerging Plant Industries

Research Organisation

University of Western Australia

Objective Summary

The objective of this project is to develop a social and scientific system for collecting the Kakadu Plum material both from Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Both States have different legislative approaches to conserve and protect their native flora and these must be taken into account as well as respecting and acknowledging the needs and contributions of local Aboriginal culture.

As this project is to combine both training and science, training to undertake such a collection is a major part of this project. The scientific information developed will be only as good as the care with which the collection is made.