Katherine Research Station PO Box 1346 Katherine NT 0851 T: 08 8973 9739 F: 08 8973 9777 E: [email protected]

ISSN 0394-9823 Edition 270 April 2006

Contents Home Vegetable Growing in the The Katherine Rural Review is prepared by the Katherine Department of Primary Julie Bird, Regional Team Leader, Crops, Forestry and Horticulture, Katherine Research Station Industry, Fisheries & (08) 8973 9738 Mines, Katherine. Katherine’s dry season is perfect for growing most varieties of vegetables for home use. The traditional vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, zucchini, potatoes, onions It is designed to provide and melons are all successfully grown in our region. You may also like to try growing Asian advice to people in primary vegetables and herbs, which are particularly suited to our climate. industry in the Katherine Region. Vegetables can be bought as seedlings ready for transplanting from the local nurseries and hardware outlets. Vegetables can also be sown from seed either into seed trays or directly This edition includes into prepared beds. Asian vegetable seeds are a bit difficult to obtain in Katherine but the information about: hardware shops in rural Darwin carry an excellent variety.

An alternative to the traditional vegie patch is to use raised beds. These are constructed Home Vegetable Growing in with cheap scrap building materials or with treated pine or sleepers, if you want to get the Katherine Region...... 1 flash. Raising the bed ensures good drainage, particularly if you want to also grow a wet Grazing Land Management season crop. Other advantages are a reduction in damage from domestic animals and (GLM)...... 2 children as well as a reduction in pests and disease as the plants are up away from the surrounding plants and soil. An Agnote is available, fully outlining construction. Many herbs Monitoring & Control of Powdery Mildew in and leafy salad vegetables such as rocket can also be successfully grown in pots. Cucurbits ...... 3 Preparation begins well before planting. At the beginning of the Wet it is a good idea to High prepare your vegetable beds by digging in plenty of organic matter and 250g per m2 of Value Tropical Timbers....4 gypsum. If you are running late, dig in the gypsum and some well decomposed compost Pastoral Market Update...6 six weeks prior to planting.

Did you know…...... 8 Two weeks prior to planting or transplanting apply a basal fertiliser. Incorporate to 2cm depth and dampen the soil so that the fertiliser begins to dissolve providing available nutrients Rosella Jam...... 8 for the new seedlings. Phosphorus is the important element at this stage as it helps the plants to develop a healthy root system. Some plants take up their entire phosphorus requirement in the first few weeks of growth. Apply 70g per m2 of single superphosphate plus 70g per m2 of an NPK fertiliser such as Nitrophoska or an organic fertiliser of a similar analysis (around 12:4:8). After a couple of crops on your beds the phosphorus will build up and the extra superphosphate won’t be required.

Soon after transplanting, or at the four-leaf stage for seeds, give the plants a drench with a soluble complete trace element mix as well a drench with a soluble complete fertiliser to For further information please stimulate growth. Follow up with another trace element spray two to three weeks later. contact 08 8973 9739. continued on page 2

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Side dress with your NPK fertiliser every two weeks at 30g per m2. Ensure that the fertiliser doesn’t touch the leaves or water well afterwards as the fertiliser can burn some plants. For long term crops such as tomatoes, eggplant and capsicum apply 20g of the NPK fertiliser per plant every seven to ten days.

Irrigation can be in the form of overhead sprinklers although with crops such as the cucurbits (melons, zucchinis etc) wetting the leaves tends to promote disease. In these cases drippers are preferred. It is best to irrigate four times a day with drippers when plants are small for a total of one hour a day, gradually increasing to two to three hours a day as plants grow larger and temperature and evaporation increases. Overhead irrigation should also start at four times a day for a total of about 40 minutes gradually increasing.

Mulch hay or woodchips will help to decrease evaporation and weed growth although care must be taken that they don’t come into contact with the plants.

Stress causing wilting due to heat or lack of soil moisture can result in rough, leathery bitter-tasting leaves in some vegetables such as lettuce. In tomatoes, wildly fluctuating soil moisture can cause “blossom-end rot” (a sunken black lesion on the flower end of the fruit). This can also be caused by a lack of calcium in the soil.

Just as commercial growers rotate their crop types on a given piece of ground, the home vegetable gardener should also prevent one type of plant being grown on the same piece of ground year after year. This can help to prevent disease problems as well as the incidence of root knot nematodes, which are a particular problem for tomatoes.

There are many insect pests that may attack your vegetables. Garlic and other natural insecticides may act as a deterrent if used regularly and will reduce chemical use. Soil and plant health are your best defence against disease and insect attack, however products are available at your local retailer if damage is becoming significant.

Growing notes are available on growing many types of vegetables in the . You can find them on our website at www.horticulture.nt.gov.au or pick them up at Katherine Research Station. Grazing Land Management Funded by the NLP (National Landcare Program), • Balancing trees and grass in a joint partnership with the Northern Territory • Managing weeds Cattlemen’s Association (NTCA) and DPIFM, a • Developing a grazing management plan Grazing Land Management (GLM) position has been created at the Katherine Research Station. Delivered over three and a half days through a ‘hands on’ approach, participants will use local research Mark Tarrant is the newly appointed GLM Officer. information and discussion with other graziers to Mark graduated from the University of QLD, Gatton formulate grazing management plans for both a case Campus in 2000, and was shortly thereafter study property, and their own station. employed by Heytesbury Beef as their Resource and Environmental Management Officer, based at Tools such as climate data and land information Pigeonhole Station. Mark started this new position specific to each station will be used in the in late January. formulation of each participant’s grazing management plans. Now, Mark’s key duties are to promote and provide support for the upcoming MLA’s Edge Network A GLM workshop will run from the 20th to 23rd of GLM workshops for the Katherine region. The GLM August 2006. The cost is approximately $1700, workshop shows producers how to create with Farmbis subsidy covering approximately strategies to increase profit and sustainability. The $1360, leaving an individual cost of $340. This price course has been adapted for various land systems will vary pending the number of participants. If across the Top End, including the Victoria River interested in attending a GLM workshop, please District. The workshop consists of seven modules: fill out the expression of interest form found inside • Understanding the grazing ecosystem this newsletter and fax it back to the Katherine • Managing grazing Research Station, (08) 8973 9777, or contact Mark • Managing fire Tarrant on (08) 8974 9749 for further information. • Managing sown pastures

2 Monitoring & Control of Powdery Mildew in Cucurbits Dr Shamsul Bhuiyan, Senior Plant Pathologist, Katherine Research Station (08) 8973 9712

Powdery mildew (PM) is a major constraint in the 10-day intervals. Remember, PM has a high production of cucurbits (melons, pumpkins, potential for developing resistance to fungicides. cucumber etc). PM of cucurbit is a fungal disease Initial powdery mildew spray applications should be mainly caused by Podosphaera xanthii. Last year treated with a protectant fungicide such as Sulphur it caused a great deal of concern for Katherine’s or Morestan® (oxythioquinox) when the plants are cucurbit growers. It seriously affected watermelons quite small until the time that the plants have which are usually only mildly affected. PM also produced too much vine for coverage with the affected other cucurbit crops in the Katherine and protectant fungicide. From the time of vining Douglas Daly . This disease can reduce onwards, the plants should be sprayed with yield by decreasing the size and number of fruits. systemic powdery mildew fungicides in rotation from Affected fruits may become less storable, at least three different chemical groups. This sunscalded, incompletely ripe, and have a poor strategy is used to prevent the build-up of strains of flavour. It is important to make a plan to minimise powdery mildew fungus resistant to a systemic the mildew problem from the beginning of the chemical. Commence spraying at the highest rate growing season. from the beginning of the season, and do not spray less than the recommended rate. What conditions favour PM? Further recommendations Moderate temperature (~22oC) and high relative humidity favours the initiation and development of PM is the most difficult disease to manage, as the powdery mildew disease. As soon as the mercury pathogen has the ability to adapt to different heads down after the hot spell, this is the first situations such as inappropriate use of specific warning for PM initiation. fungicides. Besides the application of fungicides, various management options need to be considered Scouting. What to look for? for the successful control of this disease.

Early detecting of PM disease is the single most 1. PM fungus can persist in a dormant state on important factor in successfully managing the plants remaining after the growing season. Removal disease. Early detection (when disease level is fairly of all cucurbit plants from the field at the end of the low), will help to manage the disease with minimal growing season would reduce PM inoculum, and effort and cost and minimise the impact of the help reduce the onset of severe disease next disease on crops. Regular scouting is important season. If possible, rotate the crop with a non- for early detection. cucurbit plant at least once a year.

Inspect plants weekly at the beginning of the 2. Excessive nitrogen fertilizer renders cucurbit growing season and after fruit initiation (when plants plants more susceptible to diseases. Balanced become more susceptible). Symptoms usually application of nitrogen fertilizer is important for the develop first on older leaves, on shaded lower leaves management of PM disease. and on the underside of the leaf. Older fruit-bearing plants are affected first. Examine upper and under 3. The use of PM resistant varieties is a cheaper surfaces of five older leaves at 10 separate sites or and safer alternative to fungicide application. until symptoms are found. The usual symptoms Resistant varieties should be planted if available. are a white to grey, powdery covering on the upper However, there are currently no cultivars of or lower leaf surfaces. Powdery areas most often watermelon with resistance or tolerance to PM start on the underside of the leaf, often overlooked disease. during scouting. Sometimes, usual symptoms may 4. With the development of cucurbit industries in not be seen; look for light green to yellow blotches the Katherine and Douglas Daly regions, the chance on the upper surface. You may see withered, brittle of occurrence/development of fungicide resistance and dead leaves. In some cases plants may PM pathogen in these regions is becoming higher. senesce prematurely (see figure). If not sure, send Early detection of fungicide resistance helps to affected plant parts to Katherine Research Station determine the selection of correct fungicides for the for proper identification. control of PM disease. A proactive approach of early Fungicide application detection of fungicide resistance is needed. KRS is willing to help the growers in the early detection Begin fungicide applications as soon as powdery process. mildew is observed, and continue at approximately continued on page 4

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Figure: Powdery mildew on cucurbit. Symptoms underside on leaves (Top left: melon and Top right: pumpkin). Deceiving symptoms on pumpkins and melons (Bottom left and right), may not look like typical powdery mildew

For more info contact Diagnostic Services or Crops Forestry and Horticulture Division on 8973 9739

Northern Territory High Value Tropical Timbers Don Reilly, Research Officer - Agroforestry ph 8999 2316 Interest in evaluating the possibilities of African African mahogany has proved to be an outstanding mahogany underpinning a commercial High Value success where it has been planted on a number of Hardwood timber industry in the north of sites from Darwin to Katherine. In the Natural began some years ago, as did interest in other Heritage Trust (NHT), trials established from 1999- tropical hardwood species including Teak, 2001, many of which were established in and around Rosewoods, Indian and American mahoganies. Katherine, the African mahogany component had Some have not survived the ravages of cyclones, best results for survival, height growth and diameter fires and termites. All of these species are High- giving the species the best incremental volume Value-Hardwoods and are highly sought after in figures. Unfortunately the great volume figures are the market place. Currently many of these species not always produced in a straight and branch-free are logged unsustainably in their countries of origin trunk. Many trees have poor form with short bole and/or are sold on the ‘black market’ illegally. The lengths and many large branches, making them fact that these timber species are a diminishing useless as saw-logs. An ensuing tree improvement resource, are of high value (>$US 4,000/m3) and program has been initiated to overcome these many can be produced in our environment in the deficiencies. Top End of the NT are very good reasons to grow them in plantations/farm forestry to alleviate To obtain more information of the quality of the timber pressures on natural supplies and provide of African mahogany, a number of trees were felled landowners with an alternative land use option. for evaluation of the timber characteristics and

4 reported by Armstrong et al. 2004, in a jointly funded months beginning at Coastal Plains Horticultural RIRDC, and Northern Territory Govt. Research Station in January 2005, then Douglas project. The logs were sourced from 32-year-old Daly and Katherine Research Stations in January plantations established in the NT at Gunn Point and February 2006. and Howard Springs that were never managed and suffered the ravages of cyclones, fire and termites, A workshop is to be held in Townsville, Qld in May yet timber produced from those logs was still able 2006, titled “Where to from here with R&D to to be crafted into award-winning furniture, (photo underpin plantations of high-value-timber species below). The high level of quality timber furniture (especially African mahogany) in the ‘dry’ tropics produced from samples of the timber in the study of northern Australia?” The aims will be to document has encouraged further development of the species. progress since 2004 and define the R&D still needed to realise a plantation industry in northern Australia based on African mahogany.

This illustrates the enthusiasm and interest African mahogany has generated recently in northern Australia. The furniture derived from the timber is, and has historically been highly sought after. DPIFM has indicated support for the development of plantation forestry based on African mahogany with the release of the African mahogany strategy in 2003.

Efforts to continue the tree improvement program with the species are supported and a number of commercial plantations are beginning to establish in north Qld. and the NT.

Prior to the felling of the 38 best trees for the timber The depletion of natural tropical timber resources evaluation, all trees established in a number of and increasing pressures for exporters to trade only experimental plantings in the 1970s were assessed timber sourced from sustainably managed and/or by staff of DPIFM forestry division for vigour, health, certified forestry operations demand that Australia height, diameter, form and branching to rank the takes the opportunity to grow high quality trees on their performance. Good trees were plantations of tropical hardwoods. This opportunity selected and genetic material collected in the form will provide alternatives to land-holders and of material for grafting, seed and cuttings to indigenous communities with large tracts of arable propagate. The grafted material has been used to land wanting to grow trees for commercial timber establish a Conservation Clone Bank and a Gene products. Recombination Orchard in 2000 at Berrimah and Armstrong, M., Lelievre, T., Reilly, D. and Howard Springs respectively. Some trees have Robertson, R. 2004. Preliminary report on the flowered and produced pods already, a very evaluation of the wood quality and utilisation encouraging result. potential of plantation grown Khaya senegalensis With the success of the grafting technique (>95%), trees from two sites in the Northern Territory of the next challenge was to produce rooted cuttings Australia. 16 pp. Working Paper in: Bevege, D.I., to enable the production of clones for testing in the Bristow, M., Nikles, D.G. and Skelton, D. (eds). field. To initiate this stage of testing, a hedge garden ‘Prospects for high-value hardwood timber was established at Berrimah Farm in 2004 based plantations in the ‘dry’ tropics of northern Australia’. on the so-called superior types. In addition, a Proc. of a Workshop held 19-21 October, 2004, number of promising families have been added from Mareeba, Queensland. Published as a CD ROM north Queensland and outstanding individuals by Private Forestry North Queensland Association identified in the NT. This facility has enabled the Inc., Kairi, Qld. continual production of new growth material suited to producing rooted cuttings. Cuttings produced from the hedge garden are full clones of the parent Did you know??? hedges and this will provide the opportunity to rank the clones in terms of their performance in the clone Katherine Research Station is tests for suitability to produce saw-logs. Also, we are interested in testing on a number of sites, to 1260 ha in area and is located 4km match clones best suited to particular regions. A south of Katherine on the Stuart number of these clone tests have been established Highway at Government Research Stations in the past 12 5

Live Cattle Exports via Darwin Port – MARCH 2006 # Please note that the “NT CATTLE” figures are NT cattle exported through the Port of Darwin only, some NT cattle are exported through interstate ports. Destination TOTAL CATTLE (including interstate) # NT CATTLE Last YTD 1-31 Previous Last YTD 1-31 Previous 2004 2005 year March Month 2004 2005 year March Month 31/3/05 31/3/06 Difference 31/3//05 31/3/06 Difference BRUNEI 14,101 6,642 0 2,360 1,230 1,130 +100 10,492 6,462 0 2,360 1,230 1,130 +100 INDONESIA 158,600 186,031 40,298 29,094 10,586 10,159 +427 150,048 184,767 40,298 29,094 10,586 10,159 +427 PHILIPPINES 31,623 13,052 0 0 0 0 0 29,393 12,438 0 0 0 0 0 SABAH 304 1,905 0 0 0 0 0 304 1,905 0 0 0 0 0 SARAWAK 320 04,893 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,893 0 0 0 0 0 W-MALAYSIA 6,379 93 93 112 0 112 -112 6,272 93 93 0 0 0 0 EAST TIMOR 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0

TOTAL 211,042 212,616 40,391 31,566 11,816 11,401 +415 212,520 210,558 40,391 31,454 11,816 11,401 +527 -8,825 -8,937

"March at a glance" TOTAL Live Cattle Exports thru Port of Darwin • 11,816 head of cattle through the Port of Darwin 2005 v 2006 during March, 415 head more than February, and 4,076 less than March last year. 35000 30000 • YTD figures indicate 8,825 head less than the 25000 same time last year. 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 Jan Feb M ar Apr M ay Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2006 2005 Live Cattle Exports thru the Port of Darwin

(last 10 years) 500000 450000 400000 350000 300000 NT Live Cattle Exports thru Port of Darwin 250000 200000 2005 v 2006 150000 Cattle Head 100000 35000 50000 30000 0 25000 20000 15000 10000 Series1 Series2 5000 0 Jan Feb M ar Apr M ay Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2006 2005

PREVIOUS 7 YEARS Total Cattle, Port of Darwin NT Cattle, Port of Darwin 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 219,439 280,011 299,179 258,127 322,602 260,618 211,042 212,616 160,412 192,441 222,669 193,172 229,796 212,520 205,204 210,558

OTHER LIVESTOCK EXPORTS VIA DARWIN PORT (includes NT and Interstate Stock) Buffalo Camels Goats Deer Horses Sheep Pigs Destination 2005 2006 1-31 2005 2006 1-31 2005 2006 1-31 2005 2006 1-31 2005 2006 1-31 2005 2006 1-31 2005 2006 1-31 MAR MAR MAR MAR MAR MAR MAR BRUNEI 816 70 0 34 0 0 1,097 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 INDONESIA 100 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 PHILIPPINES 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 450 0 0 W-MALAYSIA 672 750 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 SABAH 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,016 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 1,902 820 0 34 0 0 4,113 0 0 0 0 0 27 0 0 0 0 0 450 0 0

NATIONAL CATTLE PRICES - W/E 31/3/06 JAPAN OX MEDIUM STEER Estimated dressed weight price (cents/kg) Estimated dressed weight price (cents/kg)

SALEYARDS O.T.HOOKS SALEYARDS O.T.HOOKS NSW QLD SA AV NSW QLD SA AV NSW QLD SA AV NSW QLD SA AV (Aust) (Aust) (Aust) (Aust) This week 327 330 NQ 328 300 340 335 322 This week 337 336 340 336 306 333 326 321 Last week 327 334 331 326 320 342 335 3127 Last week 336 346 333 339 316 334 326 323 Year ago 198 321 334 322 311 309 335 320 Year ago 305 331 343 326 307 306 331 318 US COW TRADE STEER Estimated dressed weight price (cents/kg) Estimated dressed weight price (cents/kg)

SALEYARDS O.T.HOOKS SALEYARDS O.T.HOOKS NSW QLD SA AV NSW QLD SA AV NSW QLD SA AV NSW QLD SA AV (Aust) (Aust) (Aust) (Aust) This week 280 289 299 285 268 282 255 255 This week 358 347 352 353 323 318 311 331 Last week 280 293 294 281 268 282 255 255 Last week 369 359 343 358 324 318 311 331 Year ago 282 279 293 281 259 261 268 250 Year ago 362 353 370 369 317 286 308 322 LIVE EXPORT QUOTES Estimated live weight price (cents/kg) Prices courtesy of LIGHT STEERS HEAVY STEERS Meat & Livestock Australia (280-400 kg) (400+ kg) Darwin Fremantle Darwin Fremantle This week 175 nq 165 Nq Last week 175 NQ 165 Nq Year ago 160 170 145 155 www.mla.com.au

CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES Key Currencies Current Previous month 3 months ago 1 Year ago Pre-devaluation 1AUD = 3/4.2006 28/2.2006 31.12.2005 31./3/.2005 01.07.1997 Brunei Dollar 1.22097 1.22000 1.23393 1.2806 1.076 Indonesian Rupiah 6,832.36 6,877.37 7,582.38 7095.25 1830 Philippine Peso 38.18171 38.39179 42.69084 42.7435 19.84 Malaysian Ringgit 2.76264 2.75255 2.86534 2.9455 1.9 Euro 0.61996 0.62304 0.63132 0.5942 N/A US Dollar 0.74541 0.73863 0.76030 0.7749 0.752

Prepared by the NT Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines

This publication contains commodity market information prepared for DPIFM staff use in strategic research and extension planning. While DPIFM exercise care in the compilation and preparation of this information, no responsibility is taken for its accuracy or for the completeness of any information that is reproduced from other sources. DPIFM denies any loss or damage to any person whether caused directly or indirectly by the use of any of the information provided.

Did you know… Research shows that most Australians would benefit from increasing their fruit and vegetable intake. In 2001, 70% of Australians over 12 years usually ate less than four serves of vegetables per day. Half usually ate two or more serves of fruit.

(National Health Survey 2001, Australian Bureau of Statistics)

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Published April 2005 By Gerry McMahon, Senior Technical Officer, Horticulture Division (recipes from Darwin Gardeners Gourmet Guide)

Rosella Jam

Rosella fruit consists of a round green seed pod surrounded by five dark red fleshy calyxes.

Pick the fruit when the inside pods are still green.

Pull the calyxes off the pods, wash and cover with water and boil for about 20 minutes, until it becomes pulpy.

Take half the remaining green pods and cover them in water and boil quickly. Strain the juice from the pods into the fleshy pulp and boil for 10 minutes. Measure 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of pulp and boil together for about 1 hour, when it should be ready to bottle. (If boiled too long it loses its colour)

(recipe from Darwin Gardeners Gourmet Guide)

Reproduction of Rural Review Articles The Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines (DPIFM) welcomes the reproduction of articles appearing in this newsletter, but requests that the technical information be confirmed with the editor or Author, prior to publication. The department also requests that acknowledgement be made for any original work sourced from the Katherine Rural Review.