Technical annual report 2000-01
Dept. of Regional Development, Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources technical annual report; Department of Regional Development, Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources technical and annual report; Reports; PublicationNT; Technical bulletin (Northern Territory. Dept. of Primary Industry and Fisheries) ; no. 295
2001-10
Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).
Date:2001-10
English
Agriculture -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals; Fisheries -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals
Dept. of Primary Industry and Fisheries
Darwin
Technical bulletin (Northern Territory. Dept. of Primary Industry and Fisheries) ; no. 295
0158-2763
Check within Publication or with content Publisher.
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/223369
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/687151
Technical Annual Report 2000/01 189 OP seedlings Open-pollinated seed was collected from mature plants at BARC and CPHRF. Fruits were soaked in water for a week and flesh removed and the cleaned seed air-dried and dusted with fungicide. Seed were then sown in trays into a steam pasteurised peat-perlite mix. Once seedlings had attained 2-3 leaves they were potted on into 2 litre poly bags containing steam pasteurised peat, sand and composted pine bark media. Seedlings were planted out in December 1999 in rows 3 m apart and 2 m within the row. General management was as for the clonal accessions. Selection of better seedlings followed visual assessment where unattractive individuals were culled and vase-life assessments were undertaken on promising seedlings. This was followed by an industry field evaluation, where promising individuals were identified. Results: Clonal Accessions Of the 27 accessions evaluated, Lucille psitt, Nappi yellow, Yellow Dancer and Dinosaur could be released. Of the H. orthotricha accessions, She, Imperialis and selections 2, 4, 7, 8 and 14, warrant release for industry evaluation. In all cases propagation material is limited. OP seedlings All H. rostrata seedlings tested for vase-life were very poor (less than four days) and all have been rejected. The H. chartaceae and H. platystachys seedlings have yet to flower. Of the H. psittacorum seedlings the industry project group have selected six which show promise. These will be further evaluated and market tested on commercial farms. Conclusion: With the rapid screening of both clonal accessions and OP seedlings, a number of promising, new cultivars could be commercialised by industry. For example, Lucille and two OP seedlings may provide industry with a large, productive, red psittacorum, locally, a product in great need. The H. orthotricha accessions represent a new product for industry and are increasing in demand from southern wholesale markets. Given that promising material has been derived within three years of commencing the project and total costs of the project to date are in the order of $15,000, the above strategy offers industry a viable alternative to developing a new product, which is crucial for a sustainable cut-flower industry. Acknowledgment: We would like to acknowledge the assistance of Patrick Lake and flower producers Kia Hanson, Jan Hintze, Ian Hennesy, Neal Witham, Margot Race and Peter Jettner in this project.