Presentations at the Home Grown workshops in November 2022 included:
A series of events was held on 12-19 November 2022, organised by Norfolk Island Regional Council. The flyer as at 15 Nov. and an early version of the program as at 31 Oct. outlines the purpose. Also see the invitation to Islanders to participate, published by the Council. Early in 2023 Council published most of the proceedings on its website, but to ensure that they remain accessible, they are re-produced on this website (in this post and in adjacent posts about specialist subjects).
Norfolk Island Food and Farming Alliance – An Introduction, authorised by Chairperson Errol Unkles.
Fact sheet on “Basic Chemistry” by Graeme Sait of Nutri-Tech Solutions.
A video of a presentation by Karina Vennonnen of Canberra about Patchwork Urban Farm.
Local community group HomeGrown2899 also published a flyer in November 2022, arising out of a separate well-being initiative.
At the Home Grown workshops in November 2022, Island resident Dr Geoff Edwards delivered a presentation on plant hygiene on Norfolk Island and biosecurity procedures for importing new varieties of plants into the Island for the purposes of food production. See the video of the address here (external link).
Officers of the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests gave presentations on importation of nursery stock and animal biosecurity. The video is available (external link).
Visiting scientist Dr Anthony Rice presented on some insect pests of food species, including a presentation on beneficial predators of pests.
At the Home Grown workshops held in November 2022, consultant Jason Lynch presented his report on Agricultural Land Use and Land Capability Assessment (3.6MB) with this powerpoint. The session was recorded on video (external link).
See Declan McDonald‘s presentation on visual soil assessment and two videos: this of a field demonstration and this one in the forecourt of Rawson Hall on visual soil assessment (external link).
See a summary scorecard for assessing soils under grazing land.
Graeme Sait, Principal of Nutri-Tech Solutions based on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, visited the Island in November 2022 and delivered some excellent workshop presentations as well as leading field excursions to local properties.
Mr Sait has generously provided the attached article Chasing the Biggest Bang as a generic summary of pathways for improving nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels in soils. The article highlights how complex are the interactions between physical soil, organic materials, mineral nutrients, micro-organisms and plants. Even experienced gardeners and farmers are encouraged to read the article.
In the video of this talk (external link), he reports that previous analysis of some 40-50 samples of soil from around the Island showed five minerals including copper and boron to be deficient from all, no exception.
In this video of the inspection of the Selwyn Pine Rd property of Dr and Mrs Geoff Edwards (external link), he explains that he sees no evidence of unthrifty plants that cannot be explained by inadequate nutrition.
In the video of this field inspection, he explains the critical importance of a healthy ‘microbiome’ and the damage that processed food does to the human metabolism (external link).
Mr Sait has also encouraged us to post a link to his podcast series: https://anchor.fm/nutrition-farming
Citizen science, scientific publication, the Queensland Science Network
At the Home Grown workshops in November 2022, local resident Dr Geoff Edwards spoke on the meaning of the terms ‘science’ and ‘citizen science’ and the scientific status of different outlets for publishing the results of field observations – from social media to peer-reviewed scientific journals. He mentioned the existence of the Queensland Science Network with some 26 natural history and scientific societies as members and encouraged Norfolk Island residents to join one of them. He identified the Norfolk Island Flora and Fauna Society as the peak body on Island for citizen science. Click here for a pdf of the presentation and click here for the video (external link).
Current citizen science projects – entomology
Visiting scientist Dr Anthony Rice presented “Community science for community outcomes” on two current citizen science projects available on the Island:
See the video (external link).
He presented colour slides of beneficial predators and parasitoids.
Consultant Jason Lynch delivered a presentation on weed control at the Home Grown workshops in November 2022. See his video on Effective Weed Control (external link).
After checking the availability of pineapple plants on the Island as rootstock for modern cultivation, the Alliance applied for and obtained a permit from Biosecurity Australia to import tissue cultured plantlets of pineapples. A shipment arrived in September 2023 and has been deflasked into pots ready for planting in the field early in 2024.
Photos of typical plantlets as they are to be supplied are available here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mNzMf1hiJPyEQycC6 (either small or more advanced).
The website of one of the Australian growers NQ Paradise Pine www.paradisepines.com.au/ has this to say about this variety:
In Australia if you head into a supermarket or any fruit shop and your pineapple is without a top it is probably the hybrid variety known as 73-50. Hybrid 73-50 was developed by the Hawaiian Pineapple Research Institute (PRI, dissolved in 1975). It was imported into Australia in 1987 by a farmer from near Woodford (SE QLD) who realised its potential and as legend has it brought six plants into Australia in a suitcase. These pineapples were marketed as Bethonga Gold. The crowns of the 73-50 were removed by the Bethonga grower to stop other growers from cultivating the variety via planting the tops. The topless feature stuck as the variety gained popularity with consumers through the large supermarkets. The custom has an adverse affect on the look of pineapple as the fruit tends to dehydrate faster with the top removed. Many in the industry would prefer to see the custom done away with, but the chain stores seem to want the practice to continue.
The 73-50 is a sweet pineapple. Its parentage includes 54% Cayenne, 20% Mordilona, 13% Pernambuco, 13% Red Spanish and 3% Queen. It was considered by PRI breeders to be a high yielding cultivar with low acidity and high vitamin C . This selection has been grown on an increasing scale in Australia under various names. All usually suffixed with “Gold”. For example Rollingstone Gold, Mareeba Gold, Aussie Gold and Pure Gold from the various pack houses. They are all the same variety. It is Australia’s largest hybrid pineapple crop, although the MD2 is gaining in popularity.
The acidity of the 73-50 is only about half that of the Smooth Cayenne variety in early winter. The vitamin C content of the 73-50 is about 5 times greater than the Cayenne in winter. 73-50s normally have a very aromatic flavour, and when naturally ripened and picked with breaking colour produce a gorgeous perfume that demands attention. The 73-50 has a slightly smaller core than the Cayenne in comparison to the fruit width, and the flesh is more yellow. The 73-50 has a useful level of field resistance to blackheart (rotten core) but can be susceptible to internal browning.
Please note that 73-50 is not the product of modern genetic engineering. It is a result of conventional hybridisation. (The pink ornamental pineapple has been genetically engineered but is not known to be on Norfolk Island).
Island resident the late Richard (Dick) Cavill won a Churchill Fellowship in 1994 “To gain further knowledge of the propagation and cultivation of low chill fruit trees, such as peaches, plums, nectarines, apples and pears”. He toured around eastern Australia and visited nurseries and orchards. His report (9.1MB) is available here. Many of the productive trees on the Island trace their origin to this project.
This little booklet (27MB) sets out what it claims to explain: a summary of the hydrological conditions on the Island.
In its own words:
“The complex hydrogeological conditions…as well as the unique cultural and social heritage values of the island’s community require an innovative approach to water and wastewater management in this small isolated community. This paper brings together existing information on the hydrology of Norfolk Island to assist in the development of a sustainable water management strategy, particularly targeted at extended dry periods. It represents the first stage in establishing a framework for water and wastewater management on Norfolk Island.”
That cause was picked up later by CSIRO in its much more extensive studies.
This booklet was produced in 2007 by The Government of Norfolk Island with funding from the Natural Heritage Trust.
