About plant industries

Plant Industries Group of the Northern Territory Government:

• conducts research, development and extension for improving productivity, profitability and livelihood of the Territorians associated with existing, new and potential plant-based industries.
• partners with key stakeholders across the Territory, nationally, regionally, and globally to draw benefits for the Territorian growers and agribusinesses.

Plant Industries’ work groups

• Cropping: providing research for addressing the fundamentals of a sustainable cotton and grains cropping systems for the Territory conditions.  Key research areas includes crop establishment, break-crop options, and agronomy trials.
• Forestry: delivering research, development and extension focused on the sustainable development, optimising productivity, and increasing profitability of the forestry industries: African mahogany, Sandalwood, Tiwi plantations and Aboriginal-led native forestry.
• Horticulture: undertaking leading-edge research and development that focuses on production through to consumption systems of established, emerging, and potential horticultural industries.
• Information delivery and Engagement: face-to-face and virtual delivery of research and development outcomes from horticulture, cropping, forestry, and pastures to stakeholders (growers, industry representatives, universities, resellers and research institutions); and establishing new alliances for addressing the emerging research and development needs of the Northern Territory plant-based industries.
• Pastures: research into existing and new improved and native pasture species for higher, sustainable beef and cattle yields.

Plant Industries’ priorities

• Managing natural resources (water, soil and climate) for promoting sustainable farming, drought resilience, and climate smart agriculture to achieve reduced cost of production, increased productivity, and reduced produce losses.
• Data driven innovation for adoption of precision agriculture technologies by the agribusinesses for improving efficiency of production through to consumption supply chains of Territory’s horticulture, cropping and forestry industries.
• Diversification into new crops and value add products, new production regions, and new farming landscapes in the Top End and central region of the Northern Territory.
• Sustainable Aboriginal agribusiness development through research, development and capacity building in areas of forestry biosecurity, native value add opportunities, and Kakadu plum, mango, vegetables and native rice farming to assist Traditional Owners in establishing entrepreneurships and securing local employment in new agricultural establishments in the Top End and central region.
• Strengthening partnerships at local, regional, national and international level for enabling knowledge exchange and securing external research and development funding across all priority industries - forestry, horticulture, cropping and pastures - to promote adoption of innovative production systems and technologies.
• Investing in human resource through supporting professional development of the existing teams and attracting highly skilled and motivated plant-based industries professionals to contribute in scientific and social impact and economic development of the Northern Territory.

Agricultural notes

Various historical and current technical documents and agnotes are located in the publications library.

Search the publications library.

NT insect database

The entomology team maintain the insect database, which is a source of photos and fact sheets on insects found in the Northern Territory.

Go to the Northern Territory Insect database.

Contact

• Plant.Industries@nt.gov.au