Summary

The project will bring together information and observations on pongamia which has become available in the last ten years and will identify optimum management practices and benchmarks for yield and other aspects which need to be quantified for an economic assessment.

The activities and methods in delivering these outputs include:

1. Published information and current developments on pongamia collated in discussion papers for the first workshop.
2. Three-day workshop to review the information available and identify questions or information gaps which will be assigned to working groups to seek answers and report at a second two-day workshop.  
3. Field visits will be made to pongamia plantings and yield data obtained where possible. 
4. Observations will occur on relevant plantations to:
   • define soil requirements for good yields
   • determine if there are issues with frost and/or flats and frosty hallows.
   • study the use of pongamia in mine site reclamation
   • ·obtain growth information.
5. Answers to questions will be sought from other countries where pongamia has been planted, including India, Bangladesh, Florida and Paraguay and companies that currently grow pongamia.

Program

New and Emerging Industries

Research Organisation

Agripath

Objective Summary

• Undertake a review and collate information on establishment, management and harvesting of pongamia and to demonstrate there is sufficient technical information to underpin commercial development. 
• Undertake a preliminary economic study of pongamia to examine viability of the crop.