Green Planet Agriculture trials cherry-plum hybrid in Tasmania: photos, poll

There are only 10,000 Nadia trees growing in Australia, with the majority grown at Shepparton in Victoria.

However, 250 juvenile trees have been grafted and are being nurtured at Tahune Fields Orchard Farm at Huonville, in the state’s south.

Green Planet Agriculture managing director Justin Birchmore said it was still early days for the plant but, once mature, they will be transplanted to 10 waiting farmers across the state for optimisation trials.

The optimisation trials will find out which growing conditions are best for the plant, but it is still about four years before any of the Tasmanian Nadia plants will begin to bear fruit.

“Nadia is exciting because it’s high-yielding,” Mr Birchmore said.

“It presents on the palate like a cherry but is larger in size. It is also counter-seasonal to the predominance of current Nadia plantings in South Korea.”

Mr Birchmore said Nadia had an “impressive” flesh-to-pip ration and has a slightly thicker skin than cherries.

“As a purple fruit, it also has a compelling antioxidant profile and we intend researching this further to attain a more accurate understanding of its benefits, which will be akin to the Queen Garnet plum,” he said.

He said efforts were underway to raise investor funds for the project.

“Efforts are underway to raise capital.  These funds will allow us to properly manage our two-year optimisation trials, fund the infrastructure and capital items initially required, cover operating overheads, commence a research project to better understand the antioxidant profile,” he said.

The rights to grow Nadia in Tasmania were secured by Mr Birchmore after he was invited to the TasInvest summit in 2014 after the Chinese President visited the state.