Biosecurity and Product Integrity Crocodile Skin Project Contact: Cathy Shilton –Veterinary Pathologist Project Status: Completed. The research involved an examination of crocodile skins at the three main stages of processing: “raw” salted skins, when skins are graded at the farm, “crust” skins, which is the intermediate, colourless unfinished leather stage of the tanning process and “dyed” skins, which is the final, finished stage. Lesions were categorised and digital images were taken of about 40 lesions on the belly skin at each processing stage for each of 31 skins from three crocodile farms. A standardised set of grid images were taken of each skin at each stage so that lesions noted at a later stage of processing could be retrospectively compared with the same lesion location in the skin at the earlier stage. Below left: Researcher examining in crust stage of skin for defects Below right: Raw salted crocodile skin on a light table with grid for identifying photo locations Research Outputs Conclusions Recommendations Project results were presented to crocodile industry leaders at a meeting in June 2012. A copy of the results was provided to each attendee in an electronic web-page style format on a compact disc. Most lesions in the raw skin show up in the finished product. Lesions with keratin or contour alterations in the raw skin are more likely to show up in the finished product. An externally funded project should be developed to determine the factors that determine why lesions are expressed. An externally funded project should be developed to investigate the way in which lucent lesions are differentiated. Viral and Endogenous Retroviral Detection and Characterisation in Farmed
Rice Production Systems for the Northern Territory (NT) Contact: Rowena Eastick – Research Scientist Project Status: Commenced. Renewed interest in rice production in the NT commenced in 2009. A collaborative project with SunRice was initiated as a component of the ACIAR Project CSE/2009/005. The overall aim of the project is to develop rice production in the NT through enhanced germplasm selection and commercially viable agronomic practices for sustainable farming systems. Field experiments were conducted at the Katherine Research Station (KRS) and the Coastal Plains Research Station (CPRS) over the 2011 dry season and the 2011-12 wet season, respectively to evaluate cultivars under upland conditions. Field experiments were conducted at Tortilla Flats over the 2011 and 2012 dry seasons to evaluate lowland-adapted cultivars. A pot trial was also conducted in the shade house during the 2011 dry season at KRS to increase the amount of seed for selected lines. Below left: Lowland variety assessment at Tortilla Flats in the 2011 dry season demonstrating different times to harvest maturity Bottom right: Harvesting the 2012 wet season upland rice varieties at Coastal Plains Research Station Next page: (Table) Grain yield, stover yield and harvest maturity indicated by days after sowing (DAS) for rice cultivars assessed at Tortilla Flats and KRS over the 2011 dry season (DS). Research Outputs Data is presented for the Tortilla Flats and KRS 2011 dry season field experiments (see Table). Data for the CPRS 2011-12 wet season experiment is currently analysed. The field experiment crop at Tortilla Flats for the 2012 dry season is currently approaching maturity and will be harvested in October-November. Research Outputs (cont.)
Dr Robert Barigye Berrimah Veterinary Laboratories for bovine ephemeral fever research. Jocelyn Coventry Chinese Government representatives Visited a forestry site. Don Reilly Clifton NT Cattlemen’s Association, NT Regional Landcare Facilitator Peter Shotton Geoff Dickinson Queensland Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry visited to finalise results and writing up of the reproductive biology and pollination work on African mahogany for the SFAQ project, November 2011. Marcsik Tim Driver Precision Pastoral Pty Ltd for developing a remote livestock management system. Jocelyn Coventry Associate Professor Theodore PhD Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, July and October 2011, regarding termites Brian Thistleton Patrick Gleeson CSIRO, Canberra, July and October 2011, regarding termites. Brian Thistleton Dr Tamara Hartke ARC Centre of Excellence, Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, October 2011, regarding termites. Brian Thistleton Professor Philip Hugenholtz Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, August 2011, regarding termites. Brian Thistleton International Delegations Delegations from China, Indonesia and Vietnam were received this year to view buffalo and cattle research. Lemcke Dr Lisa Kidd University of Queensland Tim Schatz Scott Kleinsmidt BASF Australia, August 2011, regarding termites. Thistleton Alex Lindsay Queensland Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, visited to conduct controlled pollination trials on African mahogany as part of the Smart Forest Alliance Queensland (SFAQ) project, August Doris Marcsik