Scientists aim to breed easier-to-crack macadamias with more nut, less shell

If you’ve ever risked your fingers while hitting a macadamia with a hammer, you’ll know that the nuts can be tough to crack, yielding a small but tasty kernel inside.

Some of Australia’s brightest horticultural minds are trying to change that by selectively breeding for macadamias with thinner shells, larger kernels and tougher exterior husks to protect the nuts from birds and insects.

In the Queensland Alliance for Food and Agriculture’s nut lab on the Sunshine Coast, Professor Bruce Topp and his team have set a cracking…