The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Annual Research Report 2014 Annual Research Report 2014 Seeds of Life Fini ba Moris ‘Improved food security through increased productivity of major food crops’ Seeds of Life (Fini ba Moris) is a program within the Timor- Leste (East Timor) Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF). The Governments of Timor-Leste and Australia collaboratively fund the program. Australian funding is through the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) plus the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and is managed by ACIAR. The Centre for Plant Genetics and Breeding (PGB) within The University of Western Australia (UWA) coordinates the Australian funded activities. ii Table of Contents Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... iii List of tables and figures ........................................................................................................................................... v Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................... x Personnel .................................................................................................................................... xi 1. Overview of the Seeds of Life program ........................................................................ 2 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Program summary ......................................................................................................... 2 1.2.1 Component 1: Crop identification and development ......................................................................... 3 1.2.2 Component 2. Source seed and quality control ................................................................................. 5 1.2.3 Component 3. Community and commercial seed dev’t ..................................................................... 6 1.2.4 Component 4. Seed system management .......................................................................................... 7 1.3 Rainfall ............................................................................................................................ 8 2. Evaluation of new germplasm ..................................................................................... 15 2.1 Maize ............................................................................................................................. 15 2.1.1 Replicated maize trials, 2014 ........................................................................................................... 15 2.1.2 Maize On-Farm Demonstration Trials (OFDTs) 2013-2014 ........................................................... 18 2.2 Sweet potato .................................................................................................................. 19 2.2.1 Sweet potato replicated trials, 2013-2014 ........................................................................................ 19 2.2.2 Sweet potato multi-year, multi-location trial analysis ..................................................................... 21 2.2.3 Sweet potato OFDTs 2013-2014 ..................................................................................................... 23 2.3 Cassava .......................................................................................................................... 27 2.3.1 Replicated cassava trials 2013 ........................................................................................................ 27 2.3.2 Cassava performance across sites (2010 to 2013) ........................................................................... 30 2.4 Rice ................................................................................................................................ 32 2.4.1 Irrigated rice trials, 2014.................................................................................................................. 32 2.4.2 Upland rice trials, 2013-2014 .......................................................................................................... 35 2.5 Peanuts .......................................................................................................................... 37 2.5.1 Replicated trials, 2013-2014 ............................................................................................................ 37 2.5.2 Peanut trials, multi-year and multi-location analysis ....................................................................... 39 2.6 Winged beans ................................................................................................................ 41 2.7 Mung bean .................................................................................................................... 42 2.7.1 Mung bean OFDTs 2013-2014 ........................................................................................................ 42 2.8 Climbing beans ............................................................................................................. 45 2.8.1 Climbing bean replicated trials, 2013-2014 ..................................................................................... 45 2.8.2 Climbing bean, multi-year and location analysis ............................................................................. 51 3. Source seed production and quality control .............................................................. 55 3.1 Seed production of rice, maize, and peanut seed 2013-2014 ........................................................... 55 3.2 Rice, maize and peanut seed distribution, 2013-2014 ..................................................................... 56 3.3 Production and distribution of sweet potato and cassava stem cuttings .......................................... 57 4. Community based seed production ............................................................................ 59 4.1 Community seed production in 2013-2014 ..................................................................................... 60 4.2 Commercial seed producers ............................................................................................................. 63 4.3 Access to seed for vulnerable households ....................................................................................... 63 4.4 Integration of savings and loans by Commercial Seed Producers ................................................... 64 5. Farming systems research ........................................................................................... 65 5.1 Maize and velvet bean systems ........................................................................................................ 65 5.2 Long-term maize and velvet bean trial soils .................................................................................... 66 5.3 N and P application on maize yields ................................................................................................ 68 5.4 Effect of hilling up on sweet potato varieties .................................................................................. 69 6. Social science research ................................................................................................. 70 6.1 OFDT Farmers baseline data (Buka Dadus Los) ............................................................................. 70 6.2 Summary of case studies conducted during 2014 ............................................................................ 81 6.2.1 Leveraging social relationships for seed diffusion in Timor-Leste ................................................ 82 6.2.2 Study of eight CSPGs growing maize, rice and peanut .................................................................. 83 6.2.3 Social relationships impact adoption of agricultural technologies ................................................. 83 6.2.4 Savings & Loan members in Farmers’ Associations ...................................................................... 84 6.2.5 Distribution of sweet potato cuttings to vulnerable households ..................................................... 85 iii 6.2.6 Distribution monitoring of food crop seed/cutting distributions..................................................... 87 6.2.7 2014 adoption survey ...................................................................................................................... 88 6.2.8 Potential commercialization of national seed system. .................................................................... 91 7. Climate and Cropping Systems ................................................................................... 93 7.1 Meteorology with Automatic Weather Stations .............................................................................. 93 7.2 Analysis of Weather Data by AEZs for 2013-2014 ......................................................................... 94 7.3 Historical Weather Stations ........................................................................................................... 101 7.4 Validation of the crop growth model APSIM-maize variety “Sele” .............................................. 101 7.5 APSIM simulation of maize .........................................................................................................