Researchers continue to be upbeat about trial work with two novel crops in northern Australia.
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Both industrial hemp and sesame are showing good adaptability throughout tropical northern Australia.
With this in mind farmers around the Big Rivers region, around Katherine in the Northern Territory and the Kununurra region in far northern Western Australia are being invited to field days to see whether incorporating the two crops would be a good fit for their farm businesses.
The two field days, to be held on 18 June at Katherine and 20 June at Kununurra will look at the agronomics around the pair of high value crops.
The events will be hosted by AgriFutures Australia, supported by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) for the Kununurra event and the Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (NT DITT) at Katherine.
The two industrial hemp variety trial (IHVT) sites at the Katherine Research Station, NT and the Frank Wise Institute of Tropical Agriculture, WA, are among nine trial sites located in various climatic regions across the country that form the AgriFutures National IHVT program.
This is the final year of the three year trial, where 12 different cultivars, from origins as disparate as Australia, China and Poland are tested for their suitability.
IHVT Trial Coordinator Mark Skewes said the field days were a good opportunity for growers to compare the results from previous years.
"Last season, Yuma was the highest yielding variety for both grain and biomass at the Katherine site, while in Kununurra King Gee was a top performer," he said.
"The trial has been very successful in highlighting the importance of varietal selection and providing foundational data to assist growers and agronomists in each region."
The sesame trials also include a partnership with the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA), and CQUniversity.
Together with AgriFutures Australia, this forms the collaborative partnership, Sesame Central.
The aim of the trials is to provide a coordinated approach to sesame research in Australia, including the sesame trials which are investigating new high-yielding, non-shattering black and white sesame varieties.
Sesame's status as a high value crop, with prices as high as $2000 per tonne at farmgate, and its agronomic package which is perfectly suited to Australia's hot and dry conditions, it is an attractive option as a high-return break crop in broadacre farming systems.
The two crops have promise, however in the case of industrial hemp growers require permits from the relevant state or territory government, although it contains very low tetrahydrocannabinol content.
THC is the primary compound in marijuana used as a recreational drug.