Botanical Resources Australia Pty Ltd

Agricultural Services

BRA’s expert team provides agricultural consulting services across a broad spectrum. We have particular expertise in new crop development, and have two research farms for testing emerging agricultural products. BRA also owns and leases prime agricultural land and grows crops on contract. We welcome enquiries and are keen to create new partnerships in this sphere.

Since 1996, BRA has been developing pyrethrum as a high-value broad acre crop, and since 2001, the company has been working on the production of medicinal herbs including echinacea, astragalus, artemisia, feverfew, chamomile, bilberry, valerian and red sage, amongst others. Methods for every stage of production of these new crops were developed from first principles, and much of the knowledge acquired can be applied to other new crops. Research into crop establishment methods for pyrethrum has enabled progress from the traditional hand splitting and transplanting method to direct seeding – reducing establishment costs per hectare by over 80%. A spin off of the move from transplanting to direct seed drilling has been the development of seed treatment and of more advanced weed control methods as paddocks of direct drilled crops are more vulnerable to early weed invasion than transplanted crops. BRA’s expertise in both these areas can be applied to effective establishment of a range of new high-value cops. New crop development requires the accession of new plant material into Tasmania and the company has a comprehensive understanding of quarantine laws in this context. We can advise on the capabilities of agricultural regions of Tasmania in order to optimize crop performance. BRA’s field personnel are also experienced in screening and evaluation of new cultivars, and can conduct comprehensive field trials. Above all, we can advise on and implement the milestones that mark a coherent and successful process of new crop development.

Irrigation monitoring systems
Through our work with pyrethrum and the development of medicinal herbs, we have developed irrigation systems and irrigation monitoring techniques specific to new and emerging crops. We are able to do yield response field trials to establish optimal irrigation regimes for new crops. Irrigation data gleaned from trials is provided to clients in comprehensive reporting.

Plant nutrition
BRA is able to conduct plant nutrition field trials on both artificial and organic fertilisers. Full evaluation and report writing services are available to summarise outcomes from plant nutrition trials.

Crop protection trials
Full field trials can be conducted to research the benefits of crop protection products with outcomes made available through comprehensive reports. BRA has been pioneering research in Tasmania into plant disease control through the use of innoculated composts. In recent trials, we have used composts innoculated with a strain of Trichoderma to treat onion white root rot, one of the most difficult diseases to control. We are working to develop soon a similar compost innoculation technique to combat the widespread disease, sclerotinia.

Seed services
BRA can develop seed stock and we specialise in small seed handling. In conjunction with Seed Solutions, BRA is also able to offer wide-ranging seed treatment services. Seed treatments available include film coating and weight increase via encrusting or pelletising. Coated seeds provide the ability for more precise placement leading to greater uniformity of product size. In addition to pyrethrum seed, we have treated poppy, carrot, swede seed and onion seed. BRA also offers cool temperature seed storage and testing facilities. We welcome enquiries in this area.

Land leasing and contract growing
BRA runs a number of BRA owned farms and conducts research on Don Research Farm in the rich agricultural region of northwest Tasmania. These farms are the site of BRA’s echinacea and medicinal herb growing, and we have prime agricultural land here available for lease. On each of our farms, the fertile red volcanic soil of Tasmania’s northwest is augmented by a comprehensive centre pivot irrigation system. Full agricultural and research services are also available on land leased here. BRA also grows and supplies other agricultural products apart from the core crop of pyrethrum and provides full services for the care and harvesting, storage of crops as well as arranging logistics for crop transport.

R&D Management
BRA has considerable experience and success with the management of R&D projects, from the seeking of R&D funding support through to project management, report preparation and commercialisation of research findings. BRA can offer this service to interested clients.