Pili

According to Richard A. Hamilton, University of Hawaii at Manoa (macadamia breeder), the current status of the pili is equivalent to that of the macadamia some 30 years ago. It has great potential to develop into a major industry. The immediate concern in pili production is the difficulty of propagation. The lack of an effective clonal propagation method not only hampers the collection of superior germplasm but also makes it almost impossible to conduct feasibility trials of this crop. Few elite pili trees, such as 'Red', 'Albay', and 'Katutubo' were selected in the Philippines. The National Clonal Germplasm Repository at Hilo, USDA/ARS, has initiated studies in in vitro and vegetative propagation for the multiplication and long-term preservation of pili. A recently released pili cultivar in Hawaii may further stimulate the interest in this crop. This new selection, known as Poamoho, was released by R.A. Hamilton. Besides the desirable production and quality attributes, its kernels separate easily from the hard shell without the need of prior drying (30 °C for 27 to 28 h). This is an important cost saving feature for processing.