Research prepares new species for Australian native plant export market
A $1.9 million research collaboration based at the University of Queensland's Gatton College may add up to five new species to Australia's lucrative native plant export market.
The research team, headed by School of Land and Food senior lecturer Dr Margaret Johnston, is examining strategies to successfully propagate "recalcitrant" species for the domestic and international cut flower and pot plant markets.
Recalcitrant species are those previously difficult to cultivate for commercial purposes.
Native cut flowers alone were worth $34 million in exports in 1998. So popular are Australian native plants that one, the Ptilotus (Pink Mulla Mulla), was voted "Pot Plant of the Year" in Germany for 1996.
However, only a limited number of species including Geraldton Wax, Kangaroo Paw and Rice Flower can be exported because of difficulties in propagating most other native species for commercial purposes.
Dr Johnston said if the present three-year project was successful, the number of species exported would be enlarged and Australia's share of the global cut flower and potted plant market greatly expanded.
"We would also be the sole supplier of these new species to overseas markets as our competitors growing and exporting Australian native plants from Israel, South America and Africa would not have access to these new propagation methods," she said.
The $1.9 million grant jointly provided by Brisbane firm Birkdale Nursery and the Federal Department of Industry Science and Technology (DIST) would subsidise further research staff to work on the project.
The research team includes Dr Johnston, Dr Peter Dart, Dr Helen Ogle and three PhD students from the School, Taryn Fletcher, Harry Kibbler and Shaun O'Brien. Research assistant and masters graduate Julie Webber is also involved.
Birkdale Nursery staff Peter Lewis, Deo Singh and Ranjit Singh (no relation) are also working on the project.
Mr Lewis is a former Gatton College horticulture instructor and he and Ranjit Singh both hold bachelor of applied science (horticultural technology) degrees from the College.
Established more than 40 years ago, Birkdale Nursery was purchased by James and Barbara McGeoch in 1982. Over the past nine years, it has developed substantial export markets for ornamental horticultural products in North Asia, South-East Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific Islands.
According to Mr McGeoch, Birkdale Nursery's strategy for maximising export opportunities has been to establish a network of suppliers, both domestically and internationally, linked with alliances in Japan, the Middle East and a joint venture in the Philippines.
"In 1995, Birkdale Nursery was the first Australian nursery to achieve quality assurance to international standard ISO9002. This achievement has been vitally important in building and sustaining its export markets which represent a substantial proportion of Birkdale's turnover," he said.
"Birkdale Nursery exports both exotic and native species from ?starter' plants to mature trees and palms for offshore landscape projects and focuses on unique, preferably Plant Breeders' Rights plants, to international nursery wholesalers and retailers, providing them with exclusivity in their markets."
Mr McGeoch said it was the latter market sector which provided enormous potential for the new Australian native species to be researched and produced in collaboration with the University of Queensland.
Mrs McGeoch said the company had been collaborating with Dr Johnston on research into Caustis (Koala Fern) for the past six years and was enthusiastic about the opportunity to develop other unique plants for both Australian and international markets.
Cheryl McCaffery from UniQuest Pty Limited, the University's technology transfer company, had provided the expertise and project management for the collaborative agreement, Dr Johnston said.
She said the project's strength lay in its combination of University research in the native plant area built up over the past decade with Birkdale Nursery's production and marketing expertise.
She said the team would examine propagation and production methods for several native plant species including Caustis.
Desired traits in each species would be determined then propagation and nursery productions systems (including identifying the best potting media) developed for these elite types, Dr Johnston said.
Research will be conducted at greenhouses, tissue culture laboratories and research facilities at Gatton College, the St Lucia campus and Birkdale Nurseries premises in the Redlands Shire.
For more information, contact Dr Johnston (telephone 07 3365 0420 or mobile 0412 338 546) or Barbara McGeoch (telephone 07 3207 2533).
