Northern Territory Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development Primary Industry Group Technical Annual Report 2002-03 Northern Territory Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development Primary Industry Group Berrimah Farm Makagon Road Berrimah NT 0828 GPO Box 3000 Darwin NT 0801 www.dbird.nt.gov.au [email protected] Tel: +61 8 8999 2313 Fax: +61 8 8999 2307 Technical Bulletin No. 313 Price: $11.00 ISSN: 0158-2763 DISCLAIMER While all care has been taken to ensure that information contained in this Technical Bulletin is true and correct at the time of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of its information. The Northern Territory of Australia gives no warranty or assurance, and makes no representation as to the accuracy of any information or advice contained in this Technical Bulletin, or that it is suitable for your intended use. You should not rely upon information in this publication for the purpose of making any serious, business or investment decisions without obtaining independent and/or professional advice in relation to your particular situation. The Northern Territory of Australia disclaims any liability or responsibility or duty of care towards any person for loss or damage caused by any use of or reliance on the information contained in this publication. November 2003 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 5 PASTORAL ............................................................................................................................................. 7 PROGRAM: Agricultural Development........................................................................................ 7 SUBPROGRAM: Pasture Development ......................................................................................... 7 SUBPROGRAM: Agriculture and Irrigation Development ............................................................ 14 SUBPROGRAM: Cotton Industry Development ........................................................................... 21 SUBPROGRAM: Weeds Management......................................................................................... 28 SUBPROGRAM: Agroforestry ...................................................................................................... 35 SUBPROGRAM: Livestock Management..................................................................................... 42 SUBPROGRAM: Farming Systems.............................................................................................. 59 SUBPROGRAM: Meeting Market Specifications.......................................................................... 60 SUBPROGRAM: Improving Breeder Herd Efficiency................................................................... 73 SUBPROGRAM: Pastoral Production .......................................................................................... 81 Animal Health Services ................................................................................................................. 105 PROGRAM: Berrimah Veterinary Laboratories ...................................................................... 127 SUBPROGRAM: Diagnostic Pathology ...................................................................................... 129 SUBPROGRAM: Virology ........................................................................................................... 132 HORTICULTURE ................................................................................................................................ 139 PROGRAM: The Vegetable Industry........................................................................................ 139 PROGRAM: The Mango Industry ............................................................................................. 144 PROGRAM: The Banana Industry............................................................................................ 162 PROGRAM: The Citrus Industry............................................................................................... 166 PROGRAM: The Table Grape Industry .................................................................................... 172 PROGRAM: The Tropical Crops Industry................................................................................ 196 PROGRAM: The Sub-tropical Crops Industry......................................................................... 203 PROGRAM: The Ornamental Industry..................................................................................... 211 RESOURCE PROTECTION ............................................................................................................... 225 PROGRAM: Resource Protection ............................................................................................ 225 SUBPROGRAM: Plant Pathology............................................................................................... 225 SUBPROGRAM: Entomology..................................................................................................... 236 SUBPROGRAM: Interstate Quarantine ...................................................................................... 268 SUBPROGRAM: Surveillance and Eradication .......................................................................... 272 SUBPROGRAM: Technical Support Services ............................................................................ 284 PUBLICATIONS, CONFERENCE PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS .............................................. 287 INTRODUCTION The 2002-03 Technical Annual Report presents an overview of recently completed and currently conducted research and development activities by staff in the Pastoral, Horticulture and Resource Protection Divisions, which form the Primary Industry Group of the Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development. All such activities focus on improving productivity and profitability of primary industries in the Northern Territory in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. The Fisheries Group is reporting its research and development activities for 2002 separately in Fishery Status Reports 2002 (Fishery Report No. 69), which is available from the Publications Section at Berrimah Farm. The pastoral industry is the most significant land user in the NT, managing close to half the landmass in 200 pastoral leases. Many members of the industry participate in Landcare activities, pest and weed control programs and the Bushfire Council. Some of the larger pastoral companies employ their own environmental officers to monitor conditions on their properties. The total cattle herd in the NT remains at 1.6m head, largely unchanged over the last 25 years, while the annual turn off rate has increased dramatically from 10% to over 30% in 2002. The Pastoral Division conducts research to improve the productivity of cattle on pasture, and protect and improve animal health so it meets the high standards required by interstate and overseas importers. Sustained demand by the live cattle export trade to South East Asia continued to dominate the pastoral industry. In 2002, the NT supplied 510,000 head of cattle to the market, including 234,000 head for export, contributing $210m to the Territory economy. The agricultural industry continued to expand, based on mixed farming including production of cattle on improved pasture, hay and dry season irrigated crops. The Peanut Company of Australia stimulated production in the Katherine Daly Basin. In March 2003, 400 hectares were planted with peanuts compared with only 200 hectares in 2002. Rotation crops of seed sorghum and forage crops are also increasing. The total area for horticultural crops in the Territory continues to increase. However, it is still very intensive land use, estimated at 6,000 to 7,000 hectares. Within that area, the gross value of production was estimated to be $85.2m in 2002, a decrease of 7.6% over the previous year. The Horticulture Division conducts research to improve productivity and profitability of fruits, vegetables and ornamentals. Mango production currently dominates the horticulture industry. Despite some major set backs, 1.8m trays of mangoes were produced in 2002, valued at over $36.3m. Currently, there are around 800,000 mango trees, potentially able to produce between 8m and 16m trays of fruit within the next five years. The gross value of the banana industry was over $7.1m in 2002, which produced 3,943 tonnes of bananas. Banana production has decreased from last year due to the effects of Panama Tropical Race 4 disease. The project to find a Panama disease resistant variety is continuing at the Coastal Plains Banana Quarantine Station. Preliminary testing of the first introduced overseas varieties is almost complete. Table grapes are the major commercial horticultural produce from Central Australia. Production from nearly 400 hectares was 1,977 tonnes in 2002, valued at $9.9m. There was a significant drop in production of nearly 50% due mainly to rain damage at harvest. Both the Horticulture Division and industry are trialling potentially suitable tropical fruits such as jackfruit, carambola, pitaya, durian and a number of others in the Territory’s tropical region. There is also a growing interest in citrus crops, which could play a major role in the future expansion of horticulture in the Territory. In 2002, 4,360 tonnes of vegetables were produced with a gross value of