Integrating wattle seed production into farming

Image: Dr Oladipupo Adiamo (Postdoctoral Research Fellow) and Sera Jacob (ARC-UAF PhD student) at the wattle seed event (Hamilton, VIC).

In November three QAAFI researchers travelled to regional Victoria to participate in an event organised by the Gazette Land Action Group in collaboration with Wattle Seeds Australia (WSA) Consortium. The event began with Assoc Professor Femi Akinsanmi (CHS), Dr Oladipupo Adiamo (CNAFS) and Sera Jacob (CNAFS) visiting a farm in Nhill owned by Mathew Koop, a key member of the WSA Consortium supported by ANFAB. Some of the many native plants cultivated include muntries, quandong, and different edible wattleseed species.

The second day involved visits to five cultivated wattleseed orchards led by Peter Cunningham (Director, WSA Consortium) to learn about the many ways each farmer uses the different parts of the tree as well as good growing practices by each farmer. The day ended with a fabulous 3-course dinner curated by chef Andrew Fielke featuring six different wattleseed species.

The final day was attended by wattleseed enthusiasts across industries – including geneticists, archaeologists, plant pathologists, food scientists, marketers, farmers, chefs and food manufacturers. Dr Adiamo and Sera Jacob presented some of their work highlighting the nutritional and sensory profiles, along with some data on the toxicology of selected wattleseed species, including some of the species currently cultivated by Peter’s cohort. The session concluded with positive discussions on QAAFI working in collaboration with the WSA Consortium to move the Wattle seeds Industry forward.