an Integrated Food & Energy Project

CassTech Photos

Machinery and Equipment Development

  • Shadehouse used to propagate seedlings
  • Tractor and excavator attachment for laser levelling ground used to prepare farming land at the Mt Kelly Research and Development Centre
  • Excavator attachment used to laser level ground at the Mt Kelly Research and Development Centre
  • Row preparation at the 5 ha precommercial facility at the Australian Agricultural College
  • Solar powered soil temp/mois probes connected to the internet. (http://cropweb.cropsense.com/logon.aspx - User ID CassTech, passwd CT674)
  • Trickle tape trial at the precommercial facility
  • Flood irrigation - standard method in the Burdekin used for sugarcane and other crops
  • Flood irrigation supply pipeline and fixed overhead sprinkler in the background.
  • Single row planter developed for small scale cassava plantings
  • Single row cassava stem planter for small plantings - stick bins added
  • Planting of the precommercial field using a single row planter.
  • Converting the Mehmet #1 stick planter to cut vertically
  • Mehmet #2 single row stick planter undergoing modifications
  • Side-mounted full stick harvester
  • Side-mounted full stick harvester
  • Massey cane harvester - to be modified to harvest cassava billets for the 3 row Moller Billet Planter
  • Old style cane harvester to be converted to harvest cassava billets
  • Old style cane harvester to be reconditioned for cassava billet harvesting. It has a simple conveyor transfer compared to modern cane billet harvesters
  • Typical cane billet harvester used to cut billets for planting. This unit conveys billets to a in-field transporter. Conveyor currently in the travelling position at the back.
  • Cane billet conveyor will require modification
  • Double row cane billet planter showing planting section and fertiliser box
  • Side view of cane billet plant showing the billet feeder from the billet bin (right hand side)
  • Typical cane billet bin used to feed billets to a double row cane planter
  • Typical tractor used to pull the billet planter (not connected to the billet planter)
  • Billet planter in action
  • Helicopter used for aerial weed spraying during the wet season. Note: project site is adjacent to aerodrome.
  • Helicopter spraying for weed control - reloading herbicide on the fly
  • Helicopter preparing to land to recharge spray tank - Feb 09
  • Tops harvester under development
  • Foliage harvester under development (originally developed for cane tops)
  • Note the 4 cutting blades
  • Australian Agricultural College's Cropping Manager, Gavin Kedar, with cropping students showing off the prototype ”digger“ (harvester front-end)
  • Elliot Main Channel used to supply irrigation water from the Burdekin River
  • Mt Kelly Research and Development Centre shwoing farm shed construction and farm tractor with front end loader
  • Mt Kelly Research and Development Centre five bay farm equipment shed
  • Mt Kelly Research and Development Centre land preparation using trickle tape
  • Starch measurement equipment
  • High speed leisure cruiser - for weekend getaways to the Whitsundays.
  • Whitehaven beach in the Whitsundays provides the perfect relaxation
  • Whitsunday Islands - short drive from the Project site - Whitehaven Beach
  • In-field electrical conductivity mapping unit - used to generate EC contours to enable variable rate addition of gypsum.
  • Profiling unit measures EC at the surface and 30 cm depth.
  • Typical EC Map - used to add gypsum at variable rates.
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General Photos of Project Development

  • World reknowned cassava breeding specialist, Dr Hernan Ceballos at the Nursery
  • Premier, Anna Bligh, and Director General of the Department of Premier, Ken Smith, discussing the Burdekin Integrated Cassava Project
  • Solar powered soil temp/mois probes connected to the internet. (http://cropweb.cropsense.com/logon.aspx - User ID CassTech, passwd CT674)
  • Lim Guak Aik and Lincoln Doggrell at the precommercial block at the Australian Agricultural College
  • Substantial growth from previous photo - two months between photos
  • 200 metre overhead irrigation at the precommercial field. Note lay flat pipe to the right of the fixed spray unit. It is used to furrow irrigate 270 m section after the spray system
  • Previous photo 20 Nov 2009, this photo 2 months later.
  • Note that the sprnkler sprays had to be raised.
  • Cassava planted in mid June (winter) showing good progress (4 months)
  • Planted 23 September 2009 - 1 month
  • Plantings completed in 23/24 September, photo taken 21 Nov - 2 months old.
  • Same field - four months after planting
  • Looking across pre-commercial to college farm facilities
  • Xaioming Huang, Lim Sun Heng and Lyne Ching Leong with a cassava roots (14 months, cut-back twice for billets)
  • Sample 9 - Maus 7 plant at 13 months (they just keep getting bigger) - Jeff Philips
  • Prof Col Asher, Lynne Philips, Peter Cain and Dr Ros Gleadow
  • Sample 10 - Cassava roots held by Lance Mehmet
  • Maus 7 root weight - 12.8 kg at 13 months - cut back twice
  • Starch content of 25.5 %
  • Sally Elliot and Vin Sorbello at the Elliot Main Channel supplying water to site
  • Lim Guan Aik looking south west to Balanda Park from the dam site near the factory (dry season).
  • Looking across to the Elliot Channel from the back block of Leichardt Downs - cleared, flat farming land currently used for grazing (wet season)
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  • Single row planter used in precommercial operations
  • Single row cassava stem planter for small plantings - stick bins added
  • Australian Agricultural College's Cropping Manager, Gavin Kedar, with cropping students showing off the prototype ”digger“ (harvester front-end)
  • Tractor and excavator attachment for laser levelling ground used to prepare farming land at the Mt Kelly Research and Development Centre
  • Typical cane billet bin used to feed billets to a double row cane planter
  • Tops harvester under development
  • Mt Kelly Research and Development Centre five bay farm equipment shed
  • Mt Kelly Research and Development Centre land preparation using trickle tape
  • Mt Kelly Research and Development Centre - prelimianry plantings after 3 weeks
  • Mt Kelly Research and Development Cente preliminary plantings at 7 weeks
  • In vitro samples - just arrived in Australia from CIAT - 19 October 2009
  • Professor Col Asher with CIAT samples at the Dept of Primary Industries Quarantine Station - plants at 4 months
  • Whitsunday Islands - short drive from the Project site - Whitehaven Beach
  • Nursery - 7 March 2010 - note damage to plants (front right)
  • Discing 'A' Block (10 hectares) in preparation for expansion of the pre-commercial facility to 100 hectares
  • Looking back towards Balanda Park from the Factory site.
  • Looking back at an operating pivot with the property extending the mountains in the South.
  • Looking East to Stokes Range over existing farmland (prior crop was sorghum). Pivot irrigator to the left.
  • Looking west towards the Elliot Channel over flat cleared farmland.
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  • Cane harvester and transporter (2 x 6 tonne cane bins) completing a row prior to turning.
  • Monash University Post graduates completing cassava sampling
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  • Foliage harvested using the tops harvester - note that natural defoliation has occurred and the canopy is sitting up nicely at 7.5 months.
  • Precommercial cassava field (7.5 months) ready for harvest.
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