J Bjelke-Petersen research facility & Redvale field site

Site Details

Facilities

General facilities

The site has built facilities that include an administration office with accommodation for up to 50 staff, a stand-alone conference centre and meeting rooms. General storage and machinery sheds and a purpose built mechanical workshop and chemical store.

The site is also well serviced with a wide range of plant and equipment including tractors, trucks, planting, spraying and harvesting equipment required to support research activities and grow a broad range of crops.

Specialised Infrastructure

Controlled environments

• Glasshouses – Two glasshouses with a floor space of 360m² with temperature, humidity and day length controls. There are various sized pots and tubs to suit trial layout and project requirements.
• Plant growth rooms – Suitable for a wide range of applications and crop types. Includes temperature, humidity, day length and data logging controls.
• Simulated drought shelters – Two rain out shelters with a total cover area of 600m². These shelters prevent water entering the crop to mimic drought stress conditions on a wide range of summer and winter crops. Shelters can also be used for seed production where an on-field enclosed environment is required.
• Cold rooms – Temperature and humidity controlled with 80m² of floor space.

Laboratories, processing facilities and conference room

• Laboratories – The complex consists of three laboratories servicing the entomology, pathology and agronomy disciplines. Plant and equipment include soil and plant grinders, cotton grinder, autoclave and steriliser.
• Peanut processing facility – This facility services all the peanut variety and agronomy trial work conducted throughout Queensland. The plant includes: large and small driers, pre-cleaners, tailing saw, huller, adjustable seed grader, seed prep areas, and storage.
• Seed stores – There are various locations on the site designed to store seed and plant samples until processing is undertaken.
• Conference rooms –There is a stand-alone self-contained conference centre that seats up to 50 (table format) and 120 (chairs only). The centre has built-in amenities, a kitchen and outdoor entertaining area. There are another two conference rooms, located in the administration building.

Irrigation

• Irrigation is available at J. Bjelke-Petersen Research Facility and the Redvale Field Site, it is supplied from two licensed bores and Kingaroy Creek. Irrigation water is delivered through a network of underground mains and applied through overhead sprinkler, trickle tape or a lateral boom irrigator.

Specialised plant and equipment

Precision planters and plot harvesters

• GPS guidance – Trimble auto-steer systems are fitted to three of the tractors located on site. Permanent base station services are located at the Kingaroy and Redvale sites and a mobile base station is available to service the off-station sites.
• Plot harvester – Grain – KEW plot header fitted with a carousel sample system (1 operator), manual bag out and bulk bin, ideal for a wide range of summer and winter grains and legumes.
• Plot harvester – Peanuts – Self-propelled and stationary threshers used for peanut variety, agronomy trials and seed increase applications.
• Cotton harvesters – One harvester is equipped with auto weigh cells and sub sampler suitable for large trial areas and the other is equipped with a bagging system for smaller areas.
• Pulse planter – Disc opener planter with the ability to plant a wide range of summer and winter pulses and grains. Has capacity to plant multiple row configurations (25cm, 50cm, 75cm and 1m) and change seeding rates to suit trial lay out and designs. Also fitted with a seed rate controller linked back through the Trimble auto-steer system.
• Plot planters – Ability to plant variety trials in a wide range of broad acre crops to suit various plot length and lay out designs. Machines include disc opener and tine designs to suit conventional and minimal till applications.
• Bulk planters – Various other planters with the ability to plant small and large areas of a wide range of broad acre crops.
• Fertiliser applicator – Deep placement fertiliser machine with the ability to apply seven products (four granular and three liquid) in one operation. The machine is controlled through variable rate controllers and prescription maps in the field IQ of the Trimble auto-steer system.

Pest and pathogen control

• Sprayers – Machines include various row and nozzle configurations, multiple tank sizes, air induction booms and the ability to suit different row centres and configurations.

Transportation

• Low loader and tilt tray trucks – Ability to transport a wide range of plant and equipment to service project trial sites throughout Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Sample processing

• Seed and plant dryers – Multiple drying equipment located on site with the ability to service small bagged samples and up to 30 tonne of bulk material.
• Plant and seed processing equipment – Various seed cleaners and harvesters suitable for a wide range of crop types.
• Drying ovens and dehydrators – Two large drying barns with a capacity of 200m³ ideal for drying large samples to a maximum of 120ºC. Dehydrators and ovens for smaller packet and tray sized samples are also available.

Research focus

Activities at J Bjelke-Petersen Research Facility include:

• Phosphorus and potassium management in grains and cotton
• Entomology studies in protecting grain, pulses and cotton
• Australian peanut genetic improvement program
• Chick pea frost tolerance
• Defining nitrogen response for sorghum and canola in the Northern Grains Region
• Development and evaluation of summer and winter grain and pulse crops
• Production and profit enhancement of summer and winter tropical pulses.