Pongamia
Information on current partnerships and research activities with the pongamia growers.
Closing the chapter on Pongamia
An NT Department of Agriculture and Fisheries program was initiated in 2006, to identify potential biofuel feedstock crops suitable to the Northern Territory environment. Pongamia was one of the plants trialled as part of this program.
Pongamia are nitrogen fixing trees which grow in a rain-fed system on marginal lands. They produce seeds that contain significant quantities of oil. The oil is suitable for use as biodiesel, and has the potential benefit of cattle feed by-products. Queensland is thought to have some of the highest yielding indigenous pongamia species in Australia.
Ten superior Queensland lines and 10 NT lines were planted out at CCPRF and assessed for flowering and yields. Poor pod- setting was a major concern, with local specimens producing large numbers of flowers but few pods (Annual Research Report 2008-2009). However the trees were not at mature bearing ages at that point in time, further studies into flowering and yield were required from the trees as they matured.
Funding body
This project is internally funded.
Objectives
- To assess the flowering, and fruit set of the mature pongamia lines currently growing at CPRF.
- To assess the pollinator activity on the mature pongamia lines currently growing at CPRF.
- To continue to engage with interested stakeholders around the findings.
- To develop an information report summarising the work from 2006-2008 as well as the 2023 data.
Further Information
Read more about the early work in pongamia in the 2008-2009 annual research report PDF (1.7 MB) (page 7).
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