Macadamia nuts achieve high values on the international market with widespread acceptance by consumers. In Brazil, harvesting of macadamia fruits starts in mid february, but it is not known the productive potential of different cultivars available in Brazilian conditions. The objective of this study was to quantify the production and extent of harvest of macadamia cultivars in Itapira, São Paulo State. Ten macadamia cultivars (HAES 722, IAC Campinas-B, 791 Fuji, HAES 842, HAES 849, HAES 814, HAES 344, IAC 9-20X, IAC 9-20 and HAES 816) were used in the experiment. The following characteristics were evaluated during three harvest seasons in Itapira-SP: the number of fruits and harvest mass (production and estimated yield), then calculating the average mass of fruits. It was concluded that the production of macadamia nuts in Itapira-SP began in mid February and runs until the end of June. Cultivar IAC 9-20 was the earliest and HAES 722 the latest, whereas HAES 344 provided the lowest range of harvest and 791 Fuji and HAES 849 the greatest. IAC 9-20X, IAC 9-20 and HAES 816 showed the highest growth performance.
Macadamia integrifolia; nut; selection of cultivars; production
