THE overwhelming message from respondents to a recent research and development survey conducted by The Leucaena Network was for the development of productive sterile leucaena forage varieties.
About 1890 a little-known legume tree known as common leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala subspecies leucocephala) arrived unannounced in northern Australia and by the 1920s this leucaena had colonised pockets of ungrazed, non-agricultural land in urban and coastal locations of northern Australia.
During the 1950s researchers from CSIRO realised the potential for leucaena as pasture legume and superior forage types (subspecies glabrata) were introduced to Queensland for evaluation from Central America, Mexico and Hawaii.
The first commercial leucaena cultivars, Peru and El Salvador were released for use in 1962. Since then leucaena, when planted with improved grass species, has been widely recognised as one of the most productive and sustainable grazing systems in northern Australia.
The Leucaena Network executive officer Kevin Graham said that all too often these days the spread of the weedy 'common' leucaena is attributed to graziers planting commercially grown varieties.
"Today 200,000 hectares of leucaena grass pastures have been established in Queensland and plantings of the tree legume continue at a rapid pace. As graziers in southern Queensland begin to plant leucaena there is growing demand from landholders for new productive leucaena varieties which can tolerate cold and/or frosty conditions as far down as central NSW," he said.
"To meet this demand The Leucaena Network has considered commissioning research to develop productive sterile leucaena forage varieties.
"Before approaching funding agencies The Leucaena Network needed to understand the wider communities' views.
"Therefore a survey of all stakeholders of the leucaena industry was undertaken to gauge what plant breeding programs might be required and a very good response was received from all sections of stakeholders across the Northern Territory, Queensland and NSW."
The survey found 91 percent of respondents supported research to develop productive sterile leucaena forage varieties; 94pc of respondents saw value in developing cold or frost tolerant varieties; and 49pc of respondents were interested in developing combined sterile and cold or frost tolerant leucaena forage varieties.
"Undertaking the survey has allowed The Leucaena Network to have open discussions with some of the people and community groups that are opposed to the use of leucaena as a pasture plant," Mr Graham said.
"This survey and the dialogue arising from it allowed us to demonstrate to the community that The Leucaena Network is serious about our role to promote the responsible establishment and management of combined leucaena grass pastures.
"Feedback we received from livestock producers and researchers where the leucaena is subjected to cooler growing conditions and heavy frosts points to growers learning a lot about the environmental limitations of current cultivars.
"These stakeholders felt it was paramount that cold and frost tolerant varieties be developed to enable more graziers in northern Australia to benefit from the leucaena/grass production system.
"The release of the survey results is very timely and will provide a great deal of discussion at The Leucaena Network Conference and AGM."
* Full details of the survey can be found on: www.leucaena.net.
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