Trees for the new NZWIG walnut cultivar trial have just been planted at the 4 trial sites in Central Otago, Canterbury (2 sites) and Wanganui. The trial is aimed at ongoing improvement of the genetics available to the industry. We currently have an excellent set of 'recommended cultivars', including the Rex and Meyric, from the previous trial. However, the desire to find a wider range of cultivars for the future demonstrates the far-sighted nature of the walnut industry.

As with previous trials, all candidate cultivars have been tested to ensure they have excellent nut quality. The purpose of the trial is to determine how well the trees grow, how easy they are to manage and how good the yield is under commercial orchard conditions across a range of climates. There are 9 new candidates in total. Some are grafted clones of 'wild' trees which have been identified as having excellent nuts, some are candidates from previous trials which have been given another chance, and some are trees which have been 'discovered' by propagators. Rex and Meyric have also been planted for comparison in the replicated trials.

So, we look forward a few years to obtaining comparative results of the candidates' performance, and hope that some will supersede the current technology.