Issue No 8, July 1997.

NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the Advice on Publications Available.

12. Bringing Asian vegetables into one basket

Report on RIRDC Asian vegetables meeting held at the Centre for Food Technology, Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Hamilton April 1997

David Midmore
Primary Industries Research Centre
Central Queensland University
Rockhampton, Queensland 4702
Telephone: 079 309 770
Facsimile: 079 309 209
International facsimile: 61 79 309 209
Email: d.midmore@cqu.edu.au

Asian vegetables comprise a group of vegetable species, and varieties within species, more diverse than the standard set of 'western' vegetables. Many of them are produced in such small quantities in Australia that they barely justify investment in R&D.

Australia has the range of climates, the clean and green image, and the investment in a post-harvest research capability that should set it in good stead to supply both the national and export Asian vegetable markets. We could piggy-back the existing vegetable export links and chains, where the opportunities arise.

High value off-season production, as far as the Northern Hemisphere is concerned, is seen as a major factor in gaining ground in overseas markets, coupled with mechanisation. These factors should form the foundation upon which future in-roads are made.

Import substitution, particularly for tinned produce which, for most vegetables is inferior in quality, is another opportunity for producers of Asian vegetables. This will continue to expand as more Asians visit and reside in Australia.

What, then, is holding back entry into these exciting marketing opportunities?

There are localised production systems satisfying some of the national demand, and some export is underway, particularly with Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. pekinensis). Various studies, largely funded by RIRDC, have focussed on the national and export opportunities (Lee, 1995; Pan, 1995; Vinning, 1995).

However, the quantum leap in production and marketing has not yet occurred.

Asian vegetables do not figure currently within the remit of HRDC (The Australian Horticultural Research and Development Corporation). However, levies are collected on Asian vegetables, in particular those formally marketed or destined for export.

Research and development on Asian vegetables are largely catalysed by RIRDC funding, without obligatory industry matching funds, and it is this faith shown by RIRDC that has helped the Asian vegetable industry to where it is today.

RIRDC support for two Canberra workshops (Fahey and Prinsley, 1994; Lee and Prinsley, 1996), and for the extensive audits and reviews of marketing opportunities and uses, has created an expectation amongst researchers and potential producers of Asian vegetables that is still to be satisfied.

State R & D agencies are becoming involved, with Agriculture Victoria establishing a state-wide Asian Vegetable Program, centred on the Institute for Horticultural Development at Knoxfield.

The Tasmanian Department of Agriculture, New South Wales Agriculture, Queensland Department of Primary Industries and the Northern Territories Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries are mostly investing in research on their 'best-bet' commodities.

The approach is fragmented, and gains little from the obvious synergy if programs were to be coordinated. Indeed, the very advantage in the wealth of climates that should ensure year-round supply of most Asian vegetables is turned to a disadvantage because the separate states do not formally exchange information on varietal adaptation, market intelligence and export opportunities.

The protection of interests and occasional outright competition is also prevalent amongst producers, who have probably invested considerable sums in gaining market access.

A more coordinated and cooperative approach was called for in 1993 (Fahey and Prinsley, 1994) and is still needed. This approach would involve corporate and research organisations cooperating in the development of production systems and new market products. Producers and export agencies should cooperate in the targeting of export markets.

It is necessary to focus on a reduced sample of species and varieties, for which common R&D Australia-wide would prove advantageous.

Separation of commodities into groups with research based upon their degree of development/integration in the national and export markets is also essential.

RIRDC, in consultation with researchers and industry, has developed a list of Asian vegetables that merit R&D. The vegetables have been chosen on their anticipated returns to research dollar investment and these are listed in the accompanying table.

At the same time, RIRDC funds a range of research projects on Asian vegetables within their Asian Foods Program. These projects span the geographic diversity of Australia and the variety of markets in Asia.

To help reconcile the need to focus R&D activities in Asian vegetables yet maintain the flexibility to capitalise on new opportunities, a two and one half day meeting was held in April 1997 between RIRDC Asian vegetable project leaders, providers of R&D, primary producers and funding agencies. This meeting was coordinated by Central Queensland University and was held at the Centre for Food Technology, Hamilton.

Informal review of current projects, particularly focussing on spill-over benefits across projects, and an a priori analysis of scope to integrate some activities nation-wide were the focus of the agenda and the highlights are reproduced here (two page abstracts summarising progress within most projects are available from the author).

Successful business enterprises focus on goals: medium-term projections of where they wish to be at future designated times. The same must be so for the Asian vegetable industry, and two projects, lead by Mr Barry Lee of Connectica International, are helping set such goals.

Today's major import markets are Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore with Korea following closely. Indonesia has been surveyed, but is not currently viewed as a major export opportunity, while Malaysia, which may be, is yet to be studied.

With the exception of Chinese cabbage, production data including volumes, costs of inputs and assoc-iated costs of production of most Asian vegetables, i.e. the costs arising before any produce reaches the consumer, are hard to come by.

For Chinese cabbage, large volumes of production are required, for profit margins are narrow. An enterprise of about 40 ha is considered optimal, yet with costs per unit fresh weight varying in the gross order Western Australia > Victoria > Queensland, optimum farm size will vary considerably across Australia.

In broad terms, production in Western Australia is mainly focussed on the export market, while the eastern seaboard states supply domestic and export markets. Computed profit margins, as outputs of this project, will assist policy makers in their choice of commodities for promotion, both state- and nation-wide.

The domestic market for processed Asian foods is valued at approximately $1.0 billion, rising to $1.5 billion by the year 2000, in the opinion of Mr Lee.

A survey of 64 processed products in Sydney and Melbourne, studying their volumes, prices and consumption patterns, will provide information on potential import replacement, and goals to aim for in the medium term. The importance of the association of local produce with brand names has been highlighted by the study. Asian shoppers of processed foods are very brand-conscious.

Access to Asia, the principal Asian Vegetable Project of Agriculture Vict-oria is already paying dividends for both export and domestic markets. Increased awareness amongst supermarket staff in relation to the handling of Asian vegetables, and technologies for extended shelf-life have been pivotal in opening up new domestic markets.

Of the 70 or more species marketed, project coordinator Dr Wendy Morgan will concentrate on 20 targeted for local production, and four for export. Research on Chinese cabbage has raised it to number one Asian vegetable export.

For most other species in Victoria there is much research to be done, espec-ially in evaluation of varieties acceptable to domestic and overseas customers. A data base on nomenclature of Asian vegetables, to include seed sources and production/post- harvest recommendations, is planned for the future.

In another IHD project, also coordinated by Dr Morgan, post-harvest management is receiving prime attention, for Asian vegetables are purchased according to their degree of freshness, ideally reflecting quality on the morning of harvest.

The importance of cooling down produce immediately following harvest, and maintaining the cool chain to supermarket display is emphasised by IHD research. Preferably maintained at 1°C, but realistically at 5°C and combined with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), water loss can be reduced, respiration minimised and produce quality maintained.

Species currently being researched include Chinese cabbage, bok choi (a type of Chinese cabbage), kai lan (B. oleracea var. alboglabra), choi sum (another type of Chinese cabbage), and Chinese chives (Allium tuberosum var. odorum).

Once specifications for whole produce are developed, attention will be turned to minimally processed vegetables, that is diced or cut vegetables, and then to procedures that will permit export of species other than Chinese cabbage. Since many Asian veget-ables are leafy, it is hoped that MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) technology will only require small scale "tweeking" in order to suit specific species/varieties.

A project specifically looking at extending the shelf life of minimally processed Asian vegetables is underway at the Food Research Institute of QDPI, under the leadership of Dr Tim O'Hare.

The goals of this project are to achieve 10 days storage at 10°C for the local market, and 16-20 days for export. Chlorophyll degradation is the major limitation to shelf life. To overcome this problem, a range of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels that retard leaf yellowing in storage were trialled.

The optimum atmosphere to extend the shelf life of pak choi (Brassica rapa var. chinensis), tatsoi (B. rapa var. rosularis) and Chinese mustard (P. juncea) overlapped. Therefore, combinations of these in salad mixes would be feasible.

Data collected on rates of respiration will assist in the choice of appropriate films for MAP. As temperatures rise above 10°C, respiration increases and shelf life is reduced exponentially. Specifications for other species such as mizuna and mibuna (B. rapa var. nipposihica) and garland chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum coronarium) are still to be developed.

An audit of cold chains has been undertaken to identify any instances of temperature abuse since this is seen as the major limiting factor to the successful use of MAP.

Traditionally, drying or pickling of vegetables obviates the need for fresh preservation and such treatments are widespread in Asia for some vegetable species. Candidates for drying include daikon (Raphanus sativus - daikon group), burdock (Actium edule, A. lappa), bunching onion (Allium fistulosum), and perilla (Perilla ocimoides, P. frutescens var. nankinensis). These species are being researched by NSW Agriculture project leader Dr Vong Nguyen in cooperation with Hunter Valley Herb Farm, Parke Foods, Cowra Export Packers and the Food Technology Department of the University of Newcastle, along with producers.

Gross margins for daikon range from $7,500 /ha if oven dried, increasing to $11,000/ha when sun dried. Choice of variety is important, for varieties with a greater water content require longer drying. As an example, daikon for the fresh market may contain 95% water, but in the dried form would have 75% water or less at harvest.

It is important to drive water off to <10% if surface fungus on the dried daikon is to be avoided. Australian-produced dried daikon has already undergone favourable market appraisal in Japan, and varietal suitability of Chinese cabbage for Japanese kimchi, a pickled form of Chinese cabbage, is underway.

Promotion of Australian products, emphasising the use of Japanese (to the Japanese market) varieties, and awareness building of the Australian capability to supply Japanese markets via tourist magazines in Australia and industry magazines in Japan (and elsewhere), is vital to the success of the Asian vegetable industry.

Indian condiments and pickles are marketed world-wide. The opportunity for commercial production of these in Australia is being studied by Dr Suku Bhaskaram of the Australian Food Marketing Centre.

Retail sales of Indian condiments and pickles in 1995 were estimated at $15.4 million, of which close to one half were imported directly from India, and the remainder repackaged via the United Kingdom. This market is expected to expand, given the relatively recent introduction and current status of Indian foods in Australia. Combined with markets for Indian cuisine in Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius and Fiji, a $150 million industry is in the making.

A few overseas brands dominate the import market in Indian condiments and pickles (e.g. Pathaks, Sharwoods), and part of the present study will analyse the capacity of Australian firms to either compete directly with these firms in the domestic and international markets, or supply minimally processed products to those companies.

While it may be feasible to supply finished or minimally processed products, the competitive threat from the Indian industry must be factored into the analysis.

Some essential ingredients, such as mango and chilli, comprise established or potential industries; others will need R&D before they become commercially feasible in Australia.

One such product is oriental chilli, with a view to replacing the $4 million worth of product currently being imported into Australia. There is a potential Australian market of $30 million.

The project led by Dr Andreas Kleiber of the University of Adelaide aims to define management practices that induce optimal consistency in progeny and synchronous ripening for a still-to-be developed mechanical harvester.

Quality parameters such as colour and pungency of chilli dried by hot air, freezing or heat pump will be evaluated for the mild and hot markets, and methods of chilli oil extraction established. The commercial partner, Hunter Valley Herb Farms, will install demonstration plots once the technologies are in place, and the drying/extraction procedures tested on a commercial basis.

The seaweed market for food, health, agar, fertiliser and other industrial uses is worth $1.5 billion worldwide. The scope to enter this market is being investigated by an RIRDC project led by Barry Lee.

The current Australian industry has no communication with researchers, and economic analyses, such as gross margins, are not available to ascertain the viability of industry expansion. Japan is a net importer of seaweed, and multinational companies including Monsanto are positioning for entry into the seaweed industry.

Another large market, that of Shiitake mushrooms, is worth $US1 billion and offers opportunities for Australian entrepreneurs. Dr Y. K. Cho of the University of Sydney has developed a prototype procedure for ex situ fruiting, incorporating tannins for stimulation of fruiting, oils or fatty acids for enhanced mycellial growth and sucrose and cold shoot treatments to increase yield.

Inoculation into a selective medium held in a microporous bag and using a specific physiological strain of the fungus has been effective, but compromises between strain, spawn run period, size vs yield and substrate formulation are evident. These must be optimised before production can be scaled up to commercial levels.

The need to eliminate contamination and to automate all stages in the production process necessitate investment of more than $100,000 for construction of a commercial-sized pilot plant.

Smaller scale industries are envisaged for a number of other Asian vegetables, including myoga, wasabi, lotus, water chestnut and bamboo.

Myoga and wasabi are cool climate species, and are being researched in Tasmania. Professor Rob Clark of the University of Tasmania has established a working relationship with Yamaha Moto Company of Japan, and can capitalise upon their extensive distribution system for myoga (Zingiber mioga). Valued at $30-70/kg, and with 4800 t marketed in Japan, the industry could expand significantly.

A New Zealand cooperative with 40 growers recently failed due to an early senescence syndrome associated with their source of planting material. The crop in Australia has not presented such symptoms.

Research in Tasmania has developed an optimal mulching treatment for achievement of the pink blush on the underground flower. Extension of the 15-17 day storage period is required for transport to the Japanese markets. Research is ongoing and samples have been well-received in Japan.

Cultivation of wasabi (Wasabia japonica) has been shown to be feasible in Tasmania through the efforts of Ms Melanie Barber of the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.

Soil culture is possible, although most cultivation is with running water. Refinement of agronomic practices in general may take some time. The currently available technology is based upon mythology and traditional culture.

A key requirement of wasabi cultivation is the prevention of wilting, which weakens stems and makes them susceptible to bacterial infections. Research is underway on the use of tissue culture for propagation, and scaled-up trials to semi-commercial proportions, in association with the Winneleah cooperative group, will commence shortly. The strong domestic market valued at $1 million will provide growers with a choice of marketing options.

Currently in Australia, 3 to 5 ha of the perennial crop lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) are cultivated. Their rhizomes are used in Asian stir fry and other dishes. Other parts of the plant are also marketable: the leaves are pickled, seeds roasted or candied, and flowers displayed for religious ceremonies.

Trials were initiated by Dr Vong Nguyen in 1996 with one lotus line each from Singapore and China, two from Vietnam and an introduced line sourced through Brisbane. These lines vary in their flower and seed characteristics and, most likely, in their rhizome production as well.

The lotus industry in Japan uses 70,000 t of rhizome, valued at $400 million annually while the estimated Australian market is 500 t annually. To compete effectively with China, which is the major supplier of fresh lotus to Japan, a reliable mechanical harvester is indispensable. Trials to adapt water chestnut harvesters (see page 19) are underway, to give Australian producers the edge over international competition.

Development of effective mechanical harvesters for Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) has broadened the scope for large-scale production in Australia. Two RIRDC projects, lead by Prof David Midmore of Central Queensland University and Mr Jeff Lodge of the Murray Valley Water Chestnut Growers Association, are addressing issues of national cooperation amongst producers, an industry strategic plan and some basis questions of agronomy.

Over the past 10-12 years, water chestnut has evolved in Australia from a botanical novelty to a small scale industry, with between 15-20 t produced annually. Due to the timely availability of mechanical harvesters, there is an opportunity to expand production since harvesting is the most labour-demanding step in production.

Current and interested producers have been assisted in forming an industry body (the Australia Aquatic Vegetable Development Committee - AAVDC) with a defined R&D policy and strategy plan for the future. This includes both domestic and overseas market access. RIRDC has undertaken to part-fund the R&D priority topics, in service to the AAVDC.

A new bamboo shoot industry has benefited from RIRDC support to Assoc. Prof. Kerry Walsh and Prof. David Midmore at Central Queensland University, and to Mr Ron McMahon and Mr Jeff Barnes at QDPI Bundaberg Station.

Linking with a major producer in southern Queensland, and with the Northern Territories Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the CQU team has documented the annual increments in shoot production, and related them to irrigation and fertiliser treatments.

By the end of 1997 approximately 50 ha of culinary shoot-forming bamboo species will have been planted in Australia, with a capacity in three to five years to substitute fresh shoots for approximately one half of the imported volume of canned bamboo shoots.

R&D tasks include rapid propagation, water management and minimal processing. The geographical dispersion of producers means that the coordination of quality assurance, marketing and export will require some assistance. This will be effected through a follow-up RIRDC project.

Most activity at Bundaberg has focussed on propagation and deter-mination of the duration of the shoot production season of clumping bamboos, ranging from September/October to early the next year in Gigantachloa atter to January/March in Dendrocalamus asper.

Progress in other research relevant to Asian foods, but not funded by RIRDC, was also presented at this meeting.

Dr Anna Williamson of CSIRO Brisbane is researching the use of microbe mixes for fungal control in ambient temperature-stored vegetarian sausa-ges. Using wheat flour as the starter culture, the pH in the sausage comp-onents was reduced twelve hours later to 3.5, and yeasts were not detectable after 24 hours. The project has not continued further because there has been no commercial partner available.

Ms Margaret Landrigan of Northern Territories Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries attends to the technical needs of 40-50 growers of a multitude of species (c.100) with a wholesale value of $3.0 million.

Integrated pest management and post-harvest research are considered top priority. There are also concerns about the improper use of pesticides and the long time-lags experienced with landing produce on southern markets. Situation analyses are underway into pre-harvest production practices, maturity indices and post-harvest handling to guide further research aimed at improving product quality.

Open discussions on each of the projects, with contributions from industry representatives, highlighted a number of threads common to some of the RIRDC Asian vegetable projects.

RIRDC picks up on R&D projects based upon industry prospects i.e. current and latent demand, the opportunity for market development and quality improvement, the expected profitability relative to alternatives and the opportunity for improved technologies. Additional features include the ease of identification of the most limiting factors and the assessment of the ease and benefits of overcoming them, the incorporation into existing farming systems and attention to competition on the demand side. These guiding principles will be increasingly adhered to in the future selection of projects.

Technical problem areas are currently being addressed for complete production/post-harvest systems e.g., for myoga and Chinese cabbage, and for components of the system e.g. MAP. The latter has a greater opportunity for lateral transfer across commodities, particularly within the Cruciferae, and merits cross-commodity research funding, whereas a single species production system, where possible, should attract additional support from those who most benefit from the research.

Technological constraints are less well addressed by RIRDC projects. For example, the effectiveness of cool chain implementation and the development of mechanical harvesters (for lotus or chilli) are more likely to be picked up by private rather than by public sector research, yet must be shown to be worthy of investment.

Lack of capital investment can constrain enterprises beyond the pilot research stage, and highlights the need to link with industry/producers as early in the project as possible.

This linkage between researcher and industry/producers should extend to encourage cooperation amongst producers, through to market opportunities. RIRDC involvement would extend to the facilitation of these linkages, and the funding of research along the chain from producer to market, but should not catalyse the development of the markets per se.

Very little synergy exists at either the R&D or production and marketing levels between the Asian vegetable industries. For competitive and cost effective entry to new markets, the fledging industries must rally together, and RIRDC is well placed to encourage this, as has occurred for the Australian Aquatic Vegetable Development Committee.

Effective communication between researchers and producers/processors, and between commodity groups, must be strengthened for mutual benefit. Access to Asia's newsletter reaches 480 people and will receive RIRDC funding to expand the recipient list and publication frequency. Access to information technology (via e-mail and world wide web sites) cuts down publication costs and time, and in the interactive mode (e.g. with list servers) can stimulate discussion and self-help. R&D projects should be obliged to use these new communication routes, in addition to the traditional field days, media releases and built-in extension and technology transfer.

Promotion of products has been taking place in the written form for daikon amongst the Japanese audience and for bamboo in the ethnic Chinese sectors of Australia, including in-store demonstrations, promotion sheets to supermarket buyers, and grower group recipe handouts. These promotions are all important to the success of the Asian vegetable industry, but must rely upon funding sources other than RIRDC.

Research on Asian vegetables can span the gamut from an isolated good idea for a new commodity through to close research ties with industry partners at the commercial scale. Participants at the meeting chose to categorise approaches to R&D requirements as follows:

Very new species: these have little or no Australian experience, for example lotus. Basic research is necessary on agronomy, food technology, marketing and gross margins. Once the product is bought as a direct outcome of R&D, the species moves into the next category. Wasabi is such a commodity.

New species: these are marketed, but on a small and often localised scale. These species are making small inroads into markets, often in an uncoordinated manner. Bamboo and myoga fall into this category, and water chestnut is probably moving into the next category from this one.

Established species: these have a domestic and export market opportunity, but for most, there is still a need to scale up, mechanise more of the production practices, and control markets rather than be controlled by them. Processing and value-adding should be high on the R&D priority list, to induce joint ventures and offset low yields. Innovative approaches such as the mowing of leafy vegetables prior to processing as salad cuts or stir fry mixes could be funded by local interests. For most established Asian vegetable species (e.g. cabbage, daikon, bunching onions, kabocha (Cucurbita moschata)), quality descriptors are incomplete or absent. As well, there are no registered pesticides for use on Asian vegetables. Registration costs for pesticides are prohibitive, unless the registration is applied for use on a group of crop species. As established species generate large levies, responsibility for their R&D needs will be phased over to HRDC on terms that are still pending agreement.

Some progress was made towards establishing a national Asian vegetable R&D team that would be charged with the responsibility of coordinating trials and collecting production and post-harvest results Australia-wide.

Justification for this approach was based upon the need to supply chain stores with Asian vegetables, on a consistent quantity and quality basis, all year round throughout the Asian markets.

Identification of optimal sites and seasons, coupled with rigorous cost/benefit analyses, will satisfy demands by primary producers for diversification options in production and marketing. As producers of some Asian vegetables establish successful industry bodies, scope will exist for the broadening of the commodity base to include new species.

The team draws upon expertise in all states and territories in Australia. Project cooperators will build upon currently funded RIRDC projects, establish RIRDC-funded field and post-harvest trials, and capitalise where feasible upon other trials, such as those funded by state research providers and seed companies.

This approach will ensure a common set of collected data, the inclusion of reference varieties for performance evaluation, and permit rapid dissemination of results to all involved.

Several seed companies have indicated a willingness to cooperate on the project. The invitation is open for all interested parties to become involved. The project will link into data generation from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) projects on Asian vegetables currently underway in China.

The project will span the categories of very new, new and established species. Literature searches will be made available of the current knowledge on production and post-harvest, availability of planting materials, market-opportunities and costs of production.

Likely candidate species include Chinese broccoli, Chinese cabbage, Chinese flowering cabbage, chards, chives, daikon, burdock, lotus, the pak chois, kabocha and other species as justified.

As data are generated, simple modelling exercises will be undertaken to compare predicted with actual yield and quality with a view to expanding the capability to identify a priori potential sites for production.

Descriptors of new species, for use by inexperienced growers rather than as replacement of market specifications, will assist in quality assurance, which will remain of prime importance for both domestic and export markets.

Research will also be undertaken on lateral approaches to production and harvesting, such as mower harvesting, the use of 'roll-up' mulches at harvest and controlled-traffic precision harv-esting.

A mechanism will be established whereby the team involved in the project acts as an advisory group to current growers and the industry at large. Initial outputs from the project will be presented at the Asian Vegetable Workshop Session in the next Australian Society for Horticultural Science Conference to be held in Victoria.

Involvement of the project team in a workshop/conference in Asia (in association with ACIAR) exchanging insights with local producers and researchers there, will benefit all facets of the Australian Asian Vegetable Industry.

As the project progresses, extension packages (both hard copy and on the world wide web) will be available to inform potential growers how to start, current producers how to grow the product for yield and quality, and the opportunities for both. These packages will also inform transporters and marketers how to handle Asian vegetables with which they may be unfamiliar.

With close farmer and marketer involvement at all stages within the project, a lateral transfer of research output to their peers is anticipated.

Fahey, K. and Prinsley, R. 1994. Asian foods research and development. Report on a strategic planning workshop. RIRDC, Canberra.

Lee, B. 1995. Audit of Australian Asian vegetables industry. RIRDC Research Paper 95/13.

Lee, B. and Prinsley, R. 1996. Proceedings of an Asian Vegetables Industry Conference. RIRDC Research Paper 95/12.

Pan, C. 1995. Market opportunities for fresh and processed Asian vegetables. RIRDC Research Paper 95/14.

Vinning, G. 1995. Market compendium of Asian vegetables. RIRDC Research Paper 95/12.

Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email: r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au

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originally created by: GK; latest update 6 June 1999 by: RF