Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Australia
Project Leader:
Dr Rao C N Rachaputi Phone: 07 4160 0737 Fax: 07 4162 3238 Email: rao.rachaputi@deedi.qld.gov.au
Collaborating Institutions:
Ramu Agri-Industries Ltd, Papua New Guinea
National Agricultural Research Institute, Papua New Guinea
Trukai Industries, Papua New Guinea
Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Papua New Guinea
Project Budget:
$844,422
Project Duration:
01/01/2006 - 30/06/2009
Project Extension:
01/07/2009 - 30/11/2009
ACIAR Research Program Manager:
Dr Gamini Keerthisinghe
Project Background and Objectives:
The critical role of peanuts in PNG farming systems was documented in an earlier ACIAR project Improving yield and economic viability of peanut production in PNG and Australia (ASEM 2001/55).
The Australian peanut industry has highlighted a need to assess the potential for new markets for new peanut varieties and their products (i.e. especially high-oleic acid peanut oil which is comparable to sunflower oil).
High-yielding peanut germplasm lines from ICRISAT were introduced and evaluated in multi-location trials in PNG, leading to identification of promising varieties with potential to yield 50-100% greater than the local varieties. The next logical step was to transfer the new varietal and associated management technologies to smallholders and also to enhance the markets for, and marketability of, new peanut varieties in PNG.
The objectives of this project were to:
ensure multiplication and supply of seeds of new high-yielding peanut varieties to smallholders in Morobe and Eastern Highland Provinces of PNG
demonstrate and monitor improved productivity of peanut using varietal, management, modelling technologies and farmer-participatory research approach in PNG
develop and apply aerial Near Infra Red (NIR) remote sensing technology to monitor spatial variability and improve productivity of peanut in Australia, and to investigate the scope for applying the NIR technology to monitor peanut cropping systems in PNG
assess the potential of and feasibility to enhance marketability of new peanut varieties and products in PNG and Australia.
Multiplication of up to 15 of the most promising varieties identified in the precursor project will be undertaken at Ramu Sugar to achieve up to 2 tons of pods per variety. These varieties will be simultaneously evaluated and distributed via a farmer participatory 'seed village' concept. Associated new management practices will also be evaluated. Satellite imagery will be used to quantify areas under peanut cropping in PNG and while in Australia imagery research will focus on improving the real time management of peanut crops. The scope for improved peanut marketing as well as downstream processing will be assessed in PNG, while the marketing studies in Australia will focus on the demand for various peanut oil quality characteristics embodied in recently developed varieties in light of human health and nutritional trends.
Project Outcomes:
The project resulted in significant outputs for the PNG and Australian peanut industries, which are summarised below:
A seed production system was established and implemented in collaboration with the Ramu Agri-Industries, enabling large-scale multiplication and supply of peanut seed to all trials, including progressive farmers in the Markham and Eastern Highland Provinces. This seed production facility will be an asset to sustain seed supply to the future peanut industry in PNG.
A series of on-farm trials (termed as 'seed village' trials') along with parallel on-station trials across the three focus regions has demonstrated that peanut productivity can be increased from the existing 1 t/ha to >3t/ha using local or new varieties and by adopting improved management practices. The preliminary cost benefit analysis of management practices indicated that net profits of up to K2500/ha could be achieved by the adoption of new practices by growers.
The installation of aflatoxin analytical facilities and training of staff at NARI and Ramu Agri-Industries has enabled these institutions to independently monitor aflatoxin contamination in peanut samples. The results from the seed village trials showed that while the pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination was generally low (<20 ppb) in EHP, crops planted during February to July in the Markham region had a high frequency of aflatoxin contamination with levels of >200ppb recorded in some samples.
The APSIM crop model, in conjunction with information on local weather and soil properties, was used to assess the pod yield potential and aflatoxin risk profiles in major peanut growing environments of PNG. In Australia, the APSIM crop model was used to assess suitability of non-traditional peanut growing environments for growing peanut as an oil-seed crop.
Satellite imagery technology has proved to be a cost-effective tool for the in-season monitoring of spatial variability of peanut crops and peanut yield prediction in Australia as well as in PNG. The results generated in this project have led to early adoption of this technology by the Peanut Company of Australia, as well as Trukai Industries and Ramu Agri-Industries in PNG.
Two market scoping studies were implemented, one each in PNG and Australia. The PNG scoping study focused on the economic feasibility of a downstream processing industry, while the marketing study in Australia focused on the feasibility of initiating a new hi-oleic peanut oil industry. The studies also provided an insight into the present status of peanut oil in the global market.
A Best Management Practice Manual for growing peanuts in PNG has been published by ACIAR as Monograph No 134.
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