Northern dual-purpose peanut trial delivers promising results for future industry expansion

Preliminary results from the Grain and Graze North project, led by CQUniversity in partnership with Bega Cheese Limited and principal co-investment from the CRC for Developing Northern Australia, indicate that peanuts can provide up to one tonne per hectare of biomass for cattle fodder without significantly compromising end of season nut yields.

There are currently five trial sites across northern Australia including in Emerald, Ayr, Tully, Georgetown and Katherine (NT).

Read also: Life of Cloncurry icon Jan Schneekloth celebrated

Read also: Charters Towers prime cattle soften

Lead researcher Dr Tieneke Trotter said that if successful, the concept could hold the key to diversifying grazing operations across northern Australia by providing both high-value fodder as well as financial returns from the sale of peanuts.

"Peanuts have been identified by the CRCNA as a priority crop for expanded production in northern Australia and this project is testing the potential for high biomass varieties to: produce high-value fodder for diversification of farm businesses; provide feed security from extended dry seasons; and, potentially finish stock for sale into higher value markets, all while still delivering a valuable crop of nuts at the end of the season," Dr Trotter said.

"So far we've found that while nut yield can be lower in plots that were cut for hay, the yield loss was not as large as producers might expect.

"In some cases, the nut yield was not impacted at all, or occasionally an improvement in yield was noted.

"The peanut plants recovered well after the in-season biomass cut, and they typically produced similar amounts of dry matter as the uncut plots at the end of the season of approximately 2t/ha."

The peanut yields ranged between approximately 0.5t/ha and 4t/ha for varieties that were cut and approximately 1t/ha and 6t/ha for plots that were not cut.

Dr Trotter said the results will inform future economic analysis of the cost and benefit of a fodder-plus-nut crop versus nut-only production.

"More research is needed into how to minimize the yield discrepancies, and why the performance of varieties varied so greatly between trial sites, which we believe was due to cold temperatures throughout the growing season in North Queensland resulting in a lower than expected biomass and nut yield at those sites," she said.

The findings from 2022 also informed the varietal selection for the 2023 trials, as well as planned adaptations to agronomic practices such as the timing of cutting in-season biomass in order to maximise production.

"We anticipate better outcomes from the 2023 trial as we implement what we are learning," Dr Trotter said.

"The two major lines being grown across northern Australia in the 2023 season are Alloway and Kairi, but there will also be further investigation of two minor lines which may be more suited to some conditions, with another variety to be trialled in Katherine and one in the Burdekin."

The dual-purpose peanut trials will be showcased, along with the research into high-value spice crops and new mungbean varietal assessments, at a research field day on April 19 at Deneliza Downs, east of Emerald.

Dates will soon be announced for field days in Georgetown in late April, Ayr and Tully in May, and Katherine in June.