Exporting Lotus to Asia an Agronomic and Physiological Study
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Exporting Lotus to Asia An agronomic and physiological study A report for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation by Principal Investigator: Dr.Q.V.Nguyen NSW Agriculture, Horticultural Research & Advisory Station, Gosford, NSW and D Hicks, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury August 2001 RIRDC Publication No 01/032 RIRDC Project No DAN 125A © 2001 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved. ISBN 0 642 58254 8 ISSN 1440-6845 Exporting Lotus to Asia – an agronomic and physiological study Publication No. 01/32 Project No. DAN 125A The views expressed and the conclusions reached in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of persons consulted. RIRDC shall not be responsible in any way whatsoever to any person who relies in whole or in part on the contents of this report. This publication is copyrighted. However, RIRDC encourages wide dissemination of its research, providing the Corporation is clearly acknowledged. For any other enquiries concerning reproduction, contact the Publications Manager on phone 02 6272 3186. Researcher Contact Details: Dr. Q V Nguyen Special Research Horticulturist Horticultural Research & Advisory Station Locked Bag 26 GOSFORD NSW 2250 Telephone: (02)4348 1900 Fax: (02)4348 1910 Email: [email protected] RIRDC Contact Details: Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 1, AMA House 42 Macquarie Street BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Telephone: 02 6272 4539 Fax: 02 6272 5877 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.rirdc.gov.au Published in April 2001 Printed on environmentally friendly paper by Canprint ii Foreword Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera GAERTN.) is a perennial aquatic crop grown and consumed throughout Asia. Young flower stalks, seeds and rhizomes are all edible and flowers are used in religious ceremonies. The largest market exists for the rhizomes, which have enormous potential for large- scale production and export in Australia. This is a new crop to Australia where market demand for rhizomes is estimated at approximately 1,000 t per annum and valued at approximately A$4 million. At present, Australia is able to provide only 100 t in fresh form, the rest being imported mainly in frozen and dried forms. The Japanese alone use over 70,000 t annually, with a wholesale value of more than A$400 million. Domestic production in Japan is now falling due to increased pressure on agricultural land which has resulted in importation of more than 16,000 t of Lotus rhizome annually and which is valued at more than ¥1 billion, equivalent to approximately A$15 million. If Australia could provide just one percent of the Japanese wholesale market, we would earn A$4 million for our horticultural industry. This report provides a range of information to assist growers, producers and exporters to take advantage of this new crop with technical advice being available on materials and methods, results of trials, demonstration and marketing requirements, which are focussed on Japanese markets. This report, a new addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 600 research publications, forms part of our Asian Foods program, which encourages development of a viable industry in Australia. Most of our publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online through our website: • downloads at www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/Index.htm • purchases at www.rirdc.gov.au/eshop Peter Core, Managing Director Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. iii Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the advice and assistance of many people during this study: • Rural Industry Research & Development Corporation: My thanks to RIRDC, who contributed financial assistance to enable me to complete this study. Special thanks to: Dr. Roselyn Prinsely, General Manager (Research); Dr. Jeff Davis General Manager (Research); and Mr. Tony Byrne Research Manager for their encouragement. • AUSTRADE : Mr. Tsukamoto, Senior Trade Advisor. • State Government Organisations, Australia: My supervisors within the Horticultural Products & Plant Protection Program of NSW Agriculture (Mr. Doug Hocking, Program Manager; Mr. G. Lomman, Program Leader, Orange, NSW and Mr. A. Seberry, Supervisor of Research, Gosford). University of Western Sydney (Hawkesbury), Centre for Horticulture and Plant Sciences (Dr. A. Haigh, Senior Lecturer; Mr. D. Hicks, Ph.D. candidate). • Australian Asian vegetable industry: Taicheung Agricultural Development Pty. Ltd., Casino, NSW (Mr. Jackson So, Managing Director), Fig Tree, Meerschaum Vale, NSW (Mr. Kim Jones, Managing Director), Paradise Plants, Kulnura, NSW (Mr. R. Cherry, Managing Director) and Jun Pacific Corporation (Mr. Masahiro Murai, Manager). • Japanese Government Organisations: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Kyushu University, Fukuoka (Mr. Hidehiko Kikuno). JETRO (Mr. Otsubo and Mr. Dekura, Directors , Agriculture and Fisheries Department) • Japanese vegetable industry: Kurume Vegetable Breeding Co. Ltd., Fukuoka (Mr. Takahashi Tsutsumi, President and Mr. Ken Haraguchi, Manager ). • Gosford Horticultural Research & Advisory Station: I acknowledge, with special thanks, my staff including Mrs. Tuyen Nguyen, Technical Officer, Mr. Rod Hicks, Mr. Douglas Danks-Brown, Mr. Bruce York and Mr. John Heckenberg, Technical Assistants and Mr. David Hicks, Ph.D. candidate, School of Horticulture, University of Western Sydney (Hawkesbury), who worked hard in field and laboratory to complete this study. Special thanks to Mrs. Ho Thi Bich Thoa, Lecturer, School of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, Vietnam, for her time and skill in assisting with the project for two years from 1997- 1999. I also wish to thanks Mrs. Margaret Roddom for her thorough reading of the manuscript, her skill with the English language and in typing to complete this report under the most difficult of situations caused by a shortage of human resources within NSW Agriculture over past years. • Special Thanks to the Authors of the Books, Booklets, Articles and Papers from which a large amount of information and data has been cited. iv Contents FOREWORD ......................................................................................................................................................III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................................................IV EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. VII 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. HISTORY.................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2. WORLD LOTUS PRODUCTION AREAS ............................................................................................... 2 1.2.1 China................................................................................................................................................ 2 1.2.2 Japan ................................................................................................................................................ 2 1.2.3 Taiwan ............................................................................................................................................. 3 1.2.4 South Korea ..................................................................................................................................... 3 1.3. MEDICINAL AND NUTRITIONAL VALUES........................................................................................ 3 1.4. MORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS .................................................. 4 2.CROP MANAGEMENT................................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 VARIETIES................................................................................................................................................ 7 2.2 PROPAGATION....................................................................................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Seed................................................................................................................................................ 12 2.2.2 Tissue Culture................................................................................................................................ 12 2.2.3 Vegetative (Rhizome) .................................................................................................................... 12 2.3 POND MANAGEMENT.......................................................................................................................... 13 2.3.1 Design............................................................................................................................................ 13 2.3.2 Construction................................................................................................................................... 13 2.3.3 Maintenance................................................................................................................................... 14 2.4 PLANT ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS..................................................................................