consultancy services

Graham and Iris Herde, as farmers and graziers have had a lifetime interest in alternative areas of potential income for people with land in the arid areas of Australia. Over the years they have conducted research programmes on promoted livestock and horticultural opportunities to find most to be of little long term benefit to people living in the arid areas and some just elaborate confidence tricks.

When they researched the Santalums, Australian Sandalwood and the Quandong, it was obvious that if these trees could be grown in a managed situation they would be a potential new industry.

Nectarbrook Discovery Plantation was established in 1993 to prove this was possible. Over the following six years one thousand Santalum spicatum ( Australian Sandalwood ) and three hundred Santalum acuminatum (Quandong) were planted. Small plantings of Tropical Sandalwood ( S album ) and Queensland Sandalwood ( S lanceolatum ) were made for evaluation. The seed for the Sandalwood was collected from the Pilbara to Port Pirie, nine identifiable cultivars in all. In 1993 this was a pioneering effort. No one had grown Sandalwood in a managed environment. They also planted some of the first grafted Quandong from the provisionally PBR protected tree Powell's # 1. All Quandongs then in cultivation were just from wild collected seed.

The following problems were identified

Santalums are parasitic.

How parasitic?

What is a suitable host plant?

Could they be grown on mineralised water?

What type of soils?

Fertilisers, what kind and how much?

What are the most suitable methods of watering and how much?

How are the seeds propagated?

How do you get the seedlings to survive planting out and when is the best time?

What insects attack them and how do you protect them?

Which cultivars of Sandalwood are the best for a managed woodlot?

Is it possible to breed a more reliable and better fruiting Quandong?

What products can be developed from the fruit?

By trial and error these problems were solved and now Nectarbrook Discovery Plantation is able to demonstrate successful Santalum horticulture and offer the expertise to allow others wishing to enter this potentially profitable industry the chance to get it right.