The Papua New Guinea Journal of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
type: channel
description: A peer-reviewed platform for advancing biophysical and socioeconomic research and innovation across the renewable resources sector. The journal emphasizes context-specific insights from geographically tropical regions, with particular attention to the diverse agroecological zones of Papua New Guinea and the wider Pacific. It explores challenges and opportunities in wet and dry lowlands, high-altitude systems, and the unique constraints faced by small island environments. Contributions highlight adaptive strategies, integrated resource management, and locally grounded solutions that bridge science, policy, and practice.
publisher: The National Agriculture Research Institute
language: en
publication name: The Papua New Guinea Journal of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
issn: 0256-954X
copyright: CC Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0
items: Biological contaminants during in vitro establishment of nursery derived sweetpotato at Aiyura, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
items: Sweetpotato virus diversity and agroecological factors associated with virus transmission risk in the Papua New Guinea Highlands: Implications for a pathogen-tested (PT) seed system
items: The Galip Weevil (Ectatorhinus magicus) ecology and life cycle
items: The Determination of Sexes of the Cacao Weevil Borer Pantorhytes Szentivanyi Marshall ( Coleoptera: Curculionidae ).
items: Cassava and sweet potato are effective energy sources for finishing broiler chickens in the Papua New Guinea Highlands
items: Editorial Notes and Organisation and Staffing of the Department of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries.
items: Book Review - From Stone to Steel.
items: Social Organization and Land Use Pattern.
items: The Use of Mists in the Application of Insecticides to Cacao.
items: Salmonellosis in Guinea-Pigs due to the Serotype Weltevreden.
items: Observations on Rubber Growing in Malaya.
items: Further Records of Insect Pests of Theobroma Cacao in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea.
items: Pilot Survey of Food Consumption and Expenditure Patterns Two Settlements in Port Moresby.
items: Insect Pests of Theobroma Cacao in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea: Their Habits and Control
items: Effects of Urea-Molasses-Mineral-Blocks (UMMB) On The Growth Performance of Goats (CAPRA HIRCUS) Maintained on Natural Pastures in Papua New Guinea.
items: Review of Agro-Chemicals Use in the Agriculture and Livestock Sector of Papua New Guinea.
items: Productivity of Australorp Chickens in Papua New Guinea.
items: Development of Modified Cocoa DNA Extraction Method.
items: Effect of Genotype, Age of Layer and their Interaction on Egg Quality Characteristics of Egg-lay Chickens.
items: Effect of Hot Water Pre-treatment, Light and Storage on Germination of Scheinitzia Novoguinensis Verd Seeds.
items: Influence of Post Harvest Process, Genotype and Environmental Factors on Selected Cocoa Quality Attributes.
items: Understanding Biochemistry of Cocoa Fermentatiion to Arrest Bean Acidity in Papua New Guinea Cocoa.
items: Performance of Papua New Guinea Native Pigs Given Improved Management Conditions. (Origionale Pepe).
items: Panicle Characteristics in High-yielding japonica Rice lines carrying Ur1 (undulated rachis-1) Gene.
items: Identifying Populations of Papua New Guinea’s Indigenous Chicken for priority Conservation.
items: Intensive Livestock Production: Lessons learned and future prospects.
items: Tiller Dynamics in Indica and Tropical Japonica Rice from Transplanting Stressed seedlings under irrigated conditions.
items: Production of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea Batatus (L) Lam) Polycross Hybrid.
items: Developing a New Small-Scale Laboratory Microfermentation Method that can successfully ferment small quantities of Cocoa for a rapid and Reliable Genotype flavour profiling.
items: The critical Nature of Anaerobic Phase in Coca Microfermentation methods to reproduce optimum cocoa Flavour potential similar to large scale fermentation.

Biological contaminants during in vitro establishment of nursery derived sweetpotato at Aiyura, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
type: item
description: The production of virus-free sweetpotato planting material is essential for sustainable seed systems and commercial crop production. However, microbial contamination during in vitro establishment remains a major limitation to successful tissue culture propagation. This study aimed to identify the major biological contaminants associated with nursery-derived sweetpotato shoots during in vitro establishment and to determine whether the age of the shoot influences contamination levels. Nodal shoots of the cultivar Minj Purple were collected from nursery-grown plants at 2, 6 and 12 weeks of regrowth. Explants were surface sterilised using a sodium hypochlorite-based protocol and cultured under standard in vitro conditions. Contaminated cultures were classified into broad microbial groups based on visible morphological characteristics. Fungi, yeast and bacteria were identified as primary biological contaminants during culture establishment. The overall contamination frequency was 65.8%, with fungal contamination occurring most frequently (48.8%), followed by yeast (15.4%) and bacteria (1.6%). The age of shoots had no significant effect on contamination levels during in vitro establishment, whereas contaminant type significantly influenced contamination frequency, with fungi being the predominant contaminant. These results provide baseline information on biological contaminants affecting sweetpotato establishment at Aiyura. Improved nursery sanitation, targeted fungal management and refined sterilization protocols are necessary to reduce contamination losses in resource-limited tissue culture systems.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: sweetpotato
  topic: keywords
subject: in vitro establishment
  topic: keywords
subject: biological contamination
  topic: keywords
subject: fungi
  topic: keywords
creator: Winnie Maso
creator: Elizabeth Borosake
creator: Birte Nass-Komolong
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Winnie Maso, Elizabeth Borosake, Dr Birte Nass-Komolong https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-07-23
publication date: 2026-07-23
starting page: 24
ending page: 28
doi: 10.67387/g5vbpj39

Sweetpotato virus diversity and agroecological factors associated with virus transmission risk in the Papua New Guinea Highlands: Implications for a pathogen-tested (PT) seed system
type: item
description: In 2020, a survey was conducted across Eastern Highlands (EHP), Jiwaka, and Western Highlands (WHP) Provinces of Papua New Guinea (PNG) to assess sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) virus prevalence, virus vectors (aphids and whiteflies), beneficial insects, and wild Ipomoea species as potential virus reservoirs. The study aimed to support the pathogen-tested (PT) sweetpotato seed system by identifying factors associated with virus persistence, transmission, and re-infection. A total of 1,080 sweetpotato samples from 96 gardens were assessed using indicator plants and Nitrocellulose Membrane ELISA (NCM-ELISA). Sweetpotato plants exhibited virus-like symptoms, including leaf curling, vein clearing, distortion, purpling, and chlorosis. EHP recorded the highest disease severity (2.44%), followed by Jiwaka (2.11%), while no visible symptoms were observed in WHP. However, virus indexing detected latent infections, demonstrating the limitations of symptom-based diagnosis. Sweetpotato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV) was the most prevalent virus, followed by Sweetpotato virus G (SPVG), Sweetpotato collusive virus (SPCV), Sweetpotato leaf curl virus (SPLCV), and Sweetpotato chlorotic fleck virus (SPCFV), occurring as single and mixed infections. SPLV was detected as a first record for PNG, increasing the number of documented sweetpotato viruses; however, molecular confirmation is required. Seven wild Ipomoea species were identified as potential alternative hosts, with I. purpurea identified as a potential SPFMV reservoir. Aphid populations remained low (p > 0.05), suggesting limited vector pressure for potyvirus spread, whereas higher whitefly abundance (p < 0.05) indicated potential risk from whitefly-transmitted viruses, particularly Sweetpotato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV), the causal agent of sweetpotato virus disease (SPVD) Beneficial insects showed high diversity (H′ = 5.497), richness (S = 274), and evenness (EH = 0.981), indicating balanced communities supporting natural pe…
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: sweetpotato virus, PNG highlands, aphids, whiteflies, Ipomoea spp., virus epidemiology, integrated pest and disease management
  topic: keywords
creator: Wilfred Wau
creator: Robert Geno
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Wilfred Wau https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-07-17
publication date: 2026-07-17
starting page: 6
ending page: 18
doi: 10.67387/9ymk8b14

The Galip Weevil (Ectatorhinus magicus) ecology and life cycle
type: item
description: The Galip Weevil (Ectatorhinus magicus) is the main pest of the Galip Nut (Canarium indicum). The adult is free-living but its larva bores tunnels in galip trees causing severe damage to the improved, elite trees in plantations and smallholder blocks in East New Britain and New Ireland Provinces. The life cycle and ecology of the weevil were studied under field and laboratory conditions using a simple cost-effective rearing technique during 2022-2023. Larvae were reared using 25 cm cut host branches as food substrate. We found that the Galip Weevil has a complete life cycle with four larval stages. The complete cycle takes about 100 days. The cycle from egg to pupa took place inside the galip tunnels. This makes it impossible to immediately develop management strategies to control the pest. We currently recommend hand collection of the adult weevils, severing off their heads, burning them on a fire and keeping the galip blocks clean and tidy.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Galip nut, East New Britain, tree architecture, weevil, vertical distribution
  topic: keywords
creator: Jacob Yombai
creator: Gerry Cassis
creator: Birte Komolong
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Jacob Yombai, Gerry Cassis, Birte Komolong https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-16
publication date: 2026-06-16
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v56i1.1967

The Determination of Sexes of the Cacao Weevil Borer Pantorhytes Szentivanyi Marshall ( Coleoptera: Curculionidae ).
type: item
description: A rapid and simple method for sexing Pantorhytes szentivanyi Marsh. adults by visual examination of the ventral abdominal sternites is described.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Cacao Weevil
  topic: keywords
subject: Pantorhytes
  topic: keywords
subject: Szentivanyi
  topic: keywords
creator: E. Hassan
rights: Copyright (c) 1973 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-04-08
publication date: 2026-04-08
starting page: 46
ending page: 48
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v24i1.1996

Cassava and sweet potato are effective energy sources for finishing broiler chickens in the Papua New Guinea Highlands
type: item
description: The rising cost of grain-based poultry feed highlights the need for alternative energy sources in broiler nutrition. Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) are common tropical staples and offer energy-dense, starch-rich options for partially replacing conventional grains. This study evaluated two finisher diets: one incorporating 57% cassava with a universal protein concentrate (UC+Cas), and another using 25% sweetpotato with a low-energy broiler (protein) concentrate (LEBC+SP), compared against a commercial grain-based diet. 364 mixed-sex Ross 308 broilers were assigned to the dietary treatments from 21 to 42 days of age across seven broiler farms. Birds were housed in floor-pens within naturally ventilated, locally constructed sheds. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in broiler growth parameters (feed intake, daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio, final body weight) between the feed treatments. Compared to the control, grain-based ration, UC+Cas was 14% cheaper and LEBC+SP was 24% cheaper. These findings indicate that cassava and sweetpotato can be effectively used as energy sources in broiler finisher diets in the Papua New Guinea highlands without compromising growth performance. However, for optimal utilisation of cassava or sweetpotato, future research and development efforts should focus on processing and storage costs of any feed used.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: cassava
  topic: keywords
subject: protein concentrate
  topic: keywords
subject: broiler
  topic: keywords
subject: growth response
  topic: keywords
subject: benefit-cost
  topic: keywords
subject: sweetpotato
  topic: keywords
creator: Jeremiah Ahizo
creator: Stanley Amben
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Jeremiah Ahizo, Stanley Amben https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-07-21
publication date: 2026-07-21
starting page: 19
ending page: 23
doi: 10.67387/cw919y06

Editorial Notes and Organisation and Staffing of the Department of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries.
type: item
description: There have been many requests for republication of an Agricultural Gazette by Territorial residents and Plantation interests. It is gratifying to realise this can now eventuate. It is with pleasure that this Agricultural Gazette, New Series, is presented. The previous Director, Mr. G. H. Murray, was lost in Rabaul at the time of the Japanese invasion with many of his staff and that was a serious loss to the Territory. Only four members of the pre-war Department are still here in their official capacity. So in the special presentation of this issue special thought is given to past contributors.
subject: Editorial/Foreword
  topic: section
creator: Anon.
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-02-02
publication date: 2026-02-02
starting page: 4
ending page: 6
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v8i1.1653

Book Review - From Stone to Steel.
type: item
description: "From Stone to Steel" is the chronicle of an accident of history, but an accident which must have occurred among many other ethnic groups in many other areas of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. It is a study of the intro- duction of modern technology, in the form of steel axes, to a group of stone age people.
subject: Literature reviews
  topic: section
creator: R.E. Salisbury
rights: Copyright (c) 1963
date: 2025-12-09
publication date: 2025-12-09
starting page: 69
ending page: 69
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v16i1.1637

Social Organization and Land Use Pattern.
type: item
description: The various theories on the interaction of heredity and environment in the development of the individual are fairly well known and have received considerable publicity. Much less attention has been paid to the question of possible influences of hereditary and environmental factors in the development of a society as an organic unit, and further, on the action and reaction of society in a given environment in developing or evolving a social and land-use pattern appropriate for the circumstances. Another way of describing this situation would be in terms of social challenge. A society is faced with a challenge in the form of a certain physical environmental pattern-how does it respond to this challenge? Does it try to adjust its way of life to the environment or is it trying to adhere to its customary way of life within the possibilities presented by environmental factors? Or is it trying to develop and utilize its environment according to its social pattern.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Social
  topic: keywords
subject: Organization
  topic: keywords
subject: Land Use
  topic: keywords
subject: Pattern
  topic: keywords
creator: G.P. Keleny
rights: Copyright (c) 1963
date: 2025-12-09
publication date: 2025-12-09
starting page: 65
ending page: 68
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v16i1.1636

The Use of Mists in the Application of Insecticides to Cacao.
type: item
description: Mist spraying is the most economic method of applying insecticides to cacao. The optimum size of the droplets is within the range of 30-100 microns, with the mean 50 microns, and must be combined with a high velocity to give good impact percentages on the target. Spraying machinery should be selected on the basis of correct droplet size and high air-stream velocity. Volumes per acre in the order of four to eight gallons of spray material give adequate coverage of mature cacao.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Mists
  topic: keywords
subject: Application
  topic: keywords
subject: Insecticides
  topic: keywords
subject: Cacao
  topic: keywords
creator: Lance. Smee
rights: Copyright (c) 1963
date: 2025-12-09
publication date: 2025-12-09
starting page: 57
ending page: 64
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v16i1.1635

Salmonellosis in Guinea-Pigs due to the Serotype Weltevreden.
type: item
description: The most common species of the Salmonella group associated with disease in guinea-pigs are Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella enteriditis, Worden (1947). Buxton (1957) names those two serotypes as the most common in rodents and lists nine other species which have been recovered from guinea-pigs.-S. blegdam, S. cholerae suis, S. muenchen, S. new- port, S. oxford, S. poona, S. reading, S. saint- paul and S. worthington. The purpose of this paper is to describe an outbreak of Salmonellosis due to the serotype weltevreden in a laboratory colony of guinea-pigs (Cavia aperea) at the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Kila Kila, Port Moresby.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Salmonellosis
  topic: keywords
subject: Guinea-Pigs
  topic: keywords
subject: Serotype Weltevreden
  topic: keywords
creator: J.R. Egerton
creator: Anita.M. Rampling
rights: Copyright (c) 1963
date: 2025-12-09
publication date: 2025-12-09
starting page: 55
ending page: 56
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v16i1.1634

Observations on Rubber Growing in Malaya.
type: item
description: The following report contains information received and observations made during a study tour of Malayan rubber estates in the State of Selangor, and of the Rubber Research Institute of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur, during the period 23rd April to 6th May, 1963.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Observations
  topic: keywords
subject: Rubber
  topic: keywords
subject: Malaya
  topic: keywords
creator: A.J.H. Van Haaren
rights: Copyright (c) 1963
date: 2025-12-09
publication date: 2025-12-09
starting page: 45
ending page: 54
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v16i1.1633

Further Records of Insect Pests of Theobroma Cacao in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea.
type: item
description: This is a supplement to the author's paper entitled: "Insect Pests of Theobroma cacao in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea" (Szent Ivany, 1961). Seventy-six new cacao insects are listed, most of them representing new economic records. Besides this some corrections are made (including species omitted from the first paper because of the unavailability of relevant literature), and new distribution data of previously recorded cacao insects are given, together with some remarks on ecology and ethology. Two moths, previously mentioned as minor pests (Szent-Ivany, 1961) are now considered major pests of Theobroma cacao. These are the noctuids Tiracola plagiata (Walk.) and Achaea janata L.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Records
  topic: keywords
subject: Pests
  topic: keywords
subject: Theobroma
  topic: keywords
subject: Cacao
  topic: keywords
creator: J.J.H. Szent-Ivany
rights: Copyright (c) 1963
date: 2025-12-09
publication date: 2025-12-09
starting page: 37
ending page: 44
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v16i1.1632

Pilot Survey of Food Consumption and Expenditure Patterns Two Settlements in Port Moresby.
type: item
description: One of main features of economic development is the rapid growth, of urban centres. This growth creates a number of economic and social problems which plague the administering authority and the migrant and permanent settlers. One of these problems which has definite implications on policies relating to economic development is changing food consumption and expenditure patterns.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Plot Survey
  topic: keywords
subject: Food
  topic: keywords
subject: Consumption
  topic: keywords
subject: Expenditure
  topic: keywords
subject: Patterns
  topic: keywords
subject: Settlements
  topic: keywords
subject: Port Moresby
  topic: keywords
creator: G.R. Spinks
rights: Copyright (c) 1963
date: 2025-12-09
publication date: 2025-12-09
starting page: 21
ending page: 36
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v16i1.1631

Insect Pests of Theobroma Cacao in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea: Their Habits and Control
type: item
description: The Insects which are most often found attacking cacao throughout the Territory of Papua and New Guinea are described on the following pages. Included also is a brief description of their life histories and habits, the type of damage they inflict, and a resume of the control methods which are applicable to each.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Insect
  topic: keywords
subject: Pests
  topic: keywords
subject: Theobroma
  topic: keywords
subject: Cacao
  topic: keywords
subject: Habits
  topic: keywords
subject: Control
  topic: keywords
creator: Lance. Smee
rights: Copyright (c) 1963
date: 2025-12-09
publication date: 2025-12-09
starting page: 1
ending page: 20
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v16i1.1630

Effects of Urea-Molasses-Mineral-Blocks (UMMB) On The Growth Performance of Goats (CAPRA HIRCUS) Maintained on Natural Pastures in Papua New Guinea.
type: item
description: Use of urea molasses mineral blocks (UMMB), as feed supplements for goats to improve productivity, especially on farms which depend mostly on fibrous feeds of low nutritional quality in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is limited. This study was therefore conducted to investigate the growth of goats fed on UMMB in terms of their live weight gains (LWG). There were three treatments at each site: Treatment I goats were fed on natural pastures alone without UMMB. Treatment II goats were given an additional supplement of UMMB containing 5% urea and Treatment III goats were given an additional UMMB supplement containing 10% urea. Nine whether goats were randomly assigned to the treatments at each site. The goats grazed the normal pastures during the day and were offered the UMMB as licks only during the night (4pm to 8am next morning). LWG of the goats were measured over 16wks trial period The treatments had significant effect on LWG at both sites (P<0.05). LWG of goats on treatments I, II and III were 0.90±0.50kg, 0.47±0.50kg and 4.60±0.50kg respectively at NARI Labu station and -0.2±0.5kg, 2.1±0.5kg and 2.2±0.5kg respectively at Leron farm. LWG of goats in treatments I and II were statistically similar but significantly lower than that of goats in treatment III (LSD, P<0.05). However results of the on-farm trial showed that goats on treatments II and III had statistically similar LWG which were significantly higher than LWG of goats in treatment 1. The better performance of goats on UMMB especially on-farm where pastures were nutritionally poorer than those on-station suggest that UMMB technology could be used to increase growth and productivity of goats especially on commercial smallholder and subsistence farms in PNG.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Urea Molasses Mineral Blocks (UMMB)
  topic: keywords
subject: Goats
  topic: keywords
subject: Papua New Guinea
  topic: keywords
subject: Growth Performance
  topic: keywords
creator: Lucy Lapauve
creator: Gariba Danbaro
rights: Copyright (c) 2014 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2014-11-01
publication date: 2014-11-01
starting page: 31
ending page: 37
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v55i1.1493

Review of Agro-Chemicals Use in the Agriculture and Livestock Sector of Papua New Guinea.
type: item
description: Agriculture chemicals are widely available and used in the Agriculture and Livestock sector especially, by large coffee, oil palm and sugar plantations. Limited quantities of chemicals were used in the Cocoa, Coconut and Livestock industry. Smallholder farmers used very little to no chemicals; majority of the smallholder farmers produce organic produce. Fertilizer was the major chemical imported and used by the agriculture sector, followed by pesticides ( herbicides, insecticide and fungicide). About 98 % of chemicals sold by chemical distributors were herbicides (glyphosate and paraquat), which are high in demand, with limited quantities of insecticides, fungicides and pesticides. Chemical distributors in the country distributed similar range of chemicals and the quantity based on local demand. The amount of agriculture chemicals imported increased by 9 % on average annually, correlated to the level of agriculture activities, though influenced by commodity price. Annual importation of fertilizer, fungicide, and insecticide increased on average by (9 %), (3 %), and (13 %) respectively. The common chemicals used in small quantities among the smallholder farmers were pesticides to manage pest and disease in fruits and vegetable production.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Agriculture Chemicals
  topic: keywords
subject: Pesticides
  topic: keywords
subject: Fungicide
  topic: keywords
subject: Insecticide
  topic: keywords
subject: Fertilizer
  topic: keywords
creator: Noel.Y. Kuman
rights: Copyright (c) 2014 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2014-11-01
publication date: 2014-11-01
starting page: 23
ending page: 29
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v55i1.1492

Productivity of Australorp Chickens in Papua New Guinea.
type: item
description: Australorp chickens as a pure breed and in crossbreeding systems are important in the development of appropriate egg production systems in Papua New Guinea. However, problems exist with the economic disposal of surplus male birds and there is little comparative data on egg production with birds on commercial diets. The work described in this paper was firstly an attempt to assess the utility of raising surplus male chicks on commercial broiler feeds and secondly to gather limited data on egg production by Australorps in comparison with commercial hybrid layer birds. The results show clearly that it would be uneconomic to try to rear Australorp males on broiler feeds but that egg production by Australorps can be economic in spite of a longer time to point of first lay and a later attainment of peak production compared to commercial hybrids. Also presented is a summary of work done in Papua New Guinea to assess the utility of crossbreeding Australorps with commercial hybrid layers to produce a more accessible and cheaper alternative to the commercial hybrids for smallholder farmers. Suggestions are made as to options for the future use of the Australorp breed in Papua New Guinea.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Australorps
  topic: keywords
subject: Egg Production
  topic: keywords
subject: Cross-Breeding
  topic: keywords
subject: Birds
  topic: keywords
subject: Hybrid Layers
  topic: keywords
creator: Pikah Kohun
creator: Monica Mazi
creator: Ku Kobila
creator: Michelle Jambui
creator: Alan.R. Quartermain
rights: Copyright (c) 2014 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2014-11-01
publication date: 2014-11-01
starting page: 15
ending page: 21
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v55i1.1491

Development of Modified Cocoa DNA Extraction Method.
type: item
description: This is the first attempt to study Papua New Guinea cocoa at the genetic level using molecular markers. To study cocoa at the molecular level, the first the step is to extract clean good quality Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) to be used for DNA profiling. This paper described a modified method developed to extract good quality DNA, after attempts to use the conventional Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) based methods failed. The modified procedure developed was successful and used to extract high quality DNA and used to evaluate the genetic diversity of selected hybrid cocoa planting materials from Papua New Guinea.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: DNA Fingerprinting
  topic: keywords
subject: Molecular Markers
  topic: keywords
subject: Genetic Diversity
  topic: keywords
creator: Noel.Y. Kuman
creator: Paul.W.J. Taylor
rights: Copyright (c) 2014 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2014-11-01
publication date: 2014-11-01
starting page: 11
ending page: 14
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v55i1.1490

Effect of Genotype, Age of Layer and their Interaction on Egg Quality Characteristics of Egg-lay Chickens.
type: item
description: A study was carried at the Papua New Guinea University of Natural Resources and Environment to evaluate the effects of genotype and age of laying bird on egg quality traits of egg-layer chickens. A total of 180 eggs were collected from three genotypes at 56 and 68 weeks of age. The three genotypes were Australorp and F1 and F2 crosses derived from crossing an Australorp sire line with the Shaver Brown commercial dam line. Thirty eggs from each genotype and age group were evaluated for external and internal egg quality characteristics. The traits measured were egg weight (EW), egg shape index (ESI), shell weight (SW), shell percentage (SP), yolk weight (YW), yolk percentage (YP), albumen weight (AW), albumen percentage (AP), albumen height (AH) and Haugh unit (HU). The effects of genotype were found to be significant (P<0.05) for ESI, SW, SP, YW and YP. The highest value for ESI was for the F1 and shell quality was better for the crosses than for the Australorp. By contrast, the Australorp had the highest yolk percentage of 28.77 percent compared to 27.86 and 27.30 percent for the F1 and F2 respectively. Egg and yolk weights increased significantly (P<0.05) by three and four percent respectively with increased age. Albumen quality was not influenced by differences in genotype and age. However, a genotype by age interaction was observed for AW, AP and YP. The Australorp had high AW and AP initially but these declined with increasing age compared to the crosses. The F1 had the highest YP in the beginning but the Australorp had the highest YP by week 68. The results suggest that differences in genotype and age of bird, and their interaction, may affect egg quality traits of layer chickens. Customers who buy crossbred eggs of the same weight would obtain less yolk than those who buy Australorp eggs.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Genotype
  topic: keywords
subject: Age
  topic: keywords
subject: Egg Quality
  topic: keywords
subject: Egg-Layer Chickens
  topic: keywords
creator: M.L. Jambui
creator: Alan.R. Quartermain
rights: Copyright (c) 2014 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2014-11-01
publication date: 2014-11-01
starting page: 3
ending page: 9
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v55i1.1473

Effect of Hot Water Pre-treatment, Light and Storage on Germination of Scheinitzia Novoguinensis Verd Seeds.
type: item
description: S. novoguinensis is a multi - purpose legume tree that is indigenous to the Melanesian group of islands in the pacific region. Though commonly used locally in these islands, there has been very little study regarding its use, management and seed germination. This study assesses the germination rate of two seed types (stored and fresh) treated with hot water under different immersion times and germinated under three shade levels. Stored seeds immersed between 30 to 40 seconds and germinated in 100% sunlight achieved the highest germination as compared to other treatments. Most viable seeds germinated between 3-9 days and gradually declined after 18 days.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Schleinitzia Novoguinensis
  topic: keywords
subject: Papua New Guinea
  topic: keywords
subject: Germination
  topic: keywords
subject: Shade Level
  topic: keywords
subject: Boiling Water Immersion
  topic: keywords
creator: Haron Jeremiah
creator: Ruth Turia
rights: Copyright (c) 2013 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2013-06-01
publication date: 2013-06-01
starting page: 45
ending page: 49
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v54i1.1464

Influence of Post Harvest Process, Genotype and Environmental Factors on Selected Cocoa Quality Attributes.
type: item
description: The cocoa bean quality attributes are influenced by genotype, environmental factors, and plant size. The fat content of the bean is influenced by pod ripeness and affected by pod storage period. The clonal material produce desirable physical quality parameters; however there is negative correlation
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Post Harvest Process
  topic: keywords
subject: Quality Parameters
  topic: keywords
subject: Genotype and Environmental Factors
  topic: keywords
creator: Noel.Y. Kuman
rights: Copyright (c) 2013 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2013-06-01
publication date: 2013-06-01
starting page: 35
ending page: 44
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v54i1.1463

Understanding Biochemistry of Cocoa Fermentatiion to Arrest Bean Acidity in Papua New Guinea Cocoa.
type: item
description: The dominant microbial species observed in a commercial fermentation of Papua New Guinea cocoa were Yeast, Acetobacter, Lactobacillus and Bacillus species. Maximum growth of different species of microbial was observed starting from day 2 of the fermentation. The microbial activities and their rate of metabolism during the fermentation correlated to total acid production, rate of pulp sugar utilization, oxygen concentration and temperature regime. Better understanding of cocoa biochemistry would enable devising of better interventions to arrest acid production during the fermentation to reduce residual bean acidity to improve the overall cocoa flavor.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Cocoa Microbiology
  topic: keywords
subject: Fermentation and Biochemistry
  topic: keywords
creator: Noel.Y. Kuman
rights: Copyright (c) 2013 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2013-06-01
publication date: 2013-06-01
starting page: 25
ending page: 33
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v54i1.1462

Performance of Papua New Guinea Native Pigs Given Improved Management Conditions. (Origionale Pepe).
type: item
description: Pig is an important traditional livestock species in PNG agriculture. Pigs are reared for various reasons such as prestige, bride prices, feasts, initiation ceremonies, for wedding events, for compensation payments, funeral activities, for food as protein source and quiet recently for some cash income. Despite the importance of pigs in this country, there is minimum report on the native pig. The Labu Research Centre bought some native pigs from the villages within the Huon Gulf, Nawae and Mumeng Districts of Morobe Province in 1992 for a study on the performance of native pigs given improved management conditions. The pigs were bred and raised in confinement sufficient for a five sow and one boar piggery under a modern cement galvanized iron roof building with nipple drinkers. The pigs were fed various feed resources depending on availability and funding situations. This paper reports in two parts; the reproductive (part 1) and productive (part 2) performances of the native pig given improved management for a 3 year period data.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Native Pigs
  topic: keywords
subject: Reproductive Performance
  topic: keywords
subject: Productive Performance
  topic: keywords
subject: Oestrus Cycle
  topic: keywords
subject: Gestation Period
  topic: keywords
subject: Litter Size
  topic: keywords
creator: James BcGatch Duks
rights: Copyright (c) 2013 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2013-06-01
publication date: 2013-06-01
starting page: 19
ending page: 23
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v54i1.1461

Panicle Characteristics in High-yielding japonica Rice lines carrying Ur1 (undulated rachis-1) Gene.
type: item
description: Ur1 (Undulate Rachis -1), an incompletely dominant gene on chromosome 6, being characterized by undulation of primary and secondary branches at the lowest part of a panicle, has the principal effect of increasing number of secondary branches per primary branch, and additional effects of increasing both spikelet number per single secondary branch and number of primary branches per panicle. This genic effect can increase grain yield by enlarging sink size. We examined the panicle traits of two high-yielding Ur1-carrying lines (MR79 and MR53) and two commercial varieties (‘Hinohikari’ and ‘Nishihikari’). They were grown at high, middle and low fertilizer levels in a paddy field. In addition to the traits mentioned above, the numbers of differentiated (developed + degenerated) primary and secondary branches were measured. MR53 was outstandingly higher than the two commercial varieties in spikelet number per panicle, number of secondary branches per primary branch and number of differentiated secondary branches per primary branch. In each of these traits, MR79 was higher than the two commercial varieties, but lower than MR53 more or less. By number of differentiated secondary branches per primary branch, the spikelet twinning and the panicle opening in total, plants with the Ur1/Ur1 genotype could be selected in a segregating population like F2 in a process of breeding by the use of Ur1, even if undulation is little or absent like in MR79
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Rice
  topic: keywords
subject: Ur1 Gene
  topic: keywords
subject: Panicle
  topic: keywords
subject: Spikelet Number
  topic: keywords
subject: Number of Differentiated Secondary Branches
  topic: keywords
creator: Stanis Malangen
creator: Toru Hata
creator: Takumi Iwakura
creator: Katsuya Nakmura
creator: Masayuk Mural
rights: Copyright (c) 2013 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2013-06-01
publication date: 2013-06-01
starting page: 11
ending page: 18
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v54i1.1460

Identifying Populations of Papua New Guinea’s Indigenous Chicken for priority Conservation.
type: item
description: The possible decline in genetic diversity of Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) indigenous chickens and its consequences for food production and other concerns has necessitated a discussion of measures to conserve this genetic resource. As an initial step to investigate the genetic diversity and provide a theoretical basis for a conservation program of PNG’s indigenous chickens, calculation and analyses of genetic diversities were carried out in this study using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequence variations in three populations of indigenous chickens. The results indicate that all of the Alotau, Madang and Port Moresby chicken populations in PNG have unique haplotypes and high genetic diversity. Priority for conservation of these populations has been suggested on the basis of their contributions to genetic diversity.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Papua New Guinea
  topic: keywords
subject: Indigenous Chicken
  topic: keywords
subject: DNA
  topic: keywords
subject: Genetic
  topic: keywords
subject: Conservation
  topic: keywords
creator: Gariba Danbaro
creator: S. Zhao
creator: J. Han
rights: Copyright (c) 2013 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2013-06-01
publication date: 2013-06-01
starting page: 3
ending page: 9
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v54i1.1459

Intensive Livestock Production: Lessons learned and future prospects.
type: item
description: The focus of this paper is the commercial production of poultry and pigs permanently confined in some kind of housing. Data on livestock numbers and production indicate low levels of commercial pig meat production compared to that from traditional systems. The opposite holds true for poultry products. There is significant production of broiler chickens by independent growers, mainly sold in the live bird markets. The demand for meat and eggs is expected to continue to grow at about five percent per year due to population increases and factors to do with urbanization, incomes and aspirations. Papua New Guinea conditions are favourable for intensive production, especially by smallholders. There are minimum sizes of operation for practicality but the economics of scale are not important. Local production of feeds is feasible making good use of local resources but quality feeds will never be cheap. The concepts of nucleus estates and vertical integration are appealing but implementation is problematic. A number of lessons from past experiences with intensive systems give guidelines for best practice. It is concluded that the bulk of desired 'growth in livestock production over the next 10-20 years can come from smallholders and this will be profitable for them.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Broiler Chickens
  topic: keywords
subject: Egg Production
  topic: keywords
subject: Pig Production
  topic: keywords
subject: Meat Demand
  topic: keywords
subject: Integration
  topic: keywords
subject: Best Practice
  topic: keywords
subject: Smallholders
  topic: keywords
creator: Alan.R. Quartermain
rights: Copyright (c) 2010
date: 2025-11-25
publication date: 2025-11-25
starting page: 51
ending page: 54
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v53i1-2.1458

Tiller Dynamics in Indica and Tropical Japonica Rice from Transplanting Stressed seedlings under irrigated conditions.
type: item
description: An experiment was conducted at JICA, Tsukuba, Japan from April to October 2009 to elucidate the effect of transplanting stress on the growth and development of two rice varieties; IR - 64 (Indica) and a Tropical Japonica (Demadola). Four different transplanting options and the two varieties were tested in a factorial experiment of randomized complete block design with 3 replicates. Tiller production was higher for Indica varieties. It was also evident that though total tiller production was high for the different stress levels for the Indica variety; tiller mortality was also high; resulting in slightly higher effective tiller numbers compared to the normal planting. Stem elongation or rhizomes with multiple nodes were observed in Indica seedlings that were severely damaged thus resulting in higher production of tillers. The increase in the production of high effective tiller number could increase the yield of rice for farmers who apply very little or no inputs at all in their rice production.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Tillers
  topic: keywords
subject: Tiller Numbers
  topic: keywords
subject: Effective Tillers
  topic: keywords
subject: Non-Effective Tillers
  topic: keywords
subject: Rhizomes
  topic: keywords
creator: Stanis Malangen
rights: Copyright (c) 2010
date: 2025-11-25
publication date: 2025-11-25
starting page: 43
ending page: 49
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v53i1-2.1457

Production of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea Batatus (L) Lam) Polycross Hybrid.
type: item
description: A poly-cross nursery was established at the Agriculture Farm of the Papua New Guinea University of Technology to develop the poly-cross hybrids of sweet potato with high yield and superior agronomic characters. Twenty five segregating poly-cross hybrids developed from 20 selected sweet potato parental clones showed high variability in terms of tuber shape, tuber skin colour; tuber flesh colour, yield and yield components. Poly-cross hybrids showed vigorous growth and tuber yield increase ranging from 6.5% to 15.6% with higher tuber biomass ratio compared to parental clones. The hybrids showed significantly higher vine length, tuber number, tuber weight and tuber biomass ratio. However, the average vine weight was significantly higher (p <, 0.01) in case of parental clones compared to the hybrids. About 65% (r = 0.649**) of the yield variability in hybrids were accounted for by the yield in parental clones. The hybrids showed significant positive correlations between tuber weight and tuber biomass ratio (0.39*), tuber weight and tuber number (0.51**), but a very strong negative correlation (-0.89**) between vine weight and tuber biomass ratio.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Sweet Potato
  topic: keywords
subject: Poly-Cross Hybrids
  topic: keywords
creator: Maia Wamala
creator: Shamsul Akanda
rights: Copyright (c) 2010 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-25
publication date: 2025-11-25
starting page: 35
ending page: 41
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v53i1-2.1456

Developing a New Small-Scale Laboratory Microfermentation Method that can successfully ferment small quantities of Cocoa for a rapid and Reliable Genotype flavour profiling.
type: item
description: A method of fermenting small quantities of cocoa in a thermostatically controlled incubator was developed. The method is referred to as CCRI micro-fermentation method. This method reproduces the basic physical and organic chemical attributes and microbiology similar to a commercial fermentation. Statistical analysis of data indicated no significant difference between cocoa flavors attributes generated by the micro-fermentation and commercial fermentation methods.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Micro-Fermentation
  topic: keywords
subject: Genotype
  topic: keywords
subject: Cocoa Flavor Attributes
  topic: keywords
creator: Noel.Y. Kuman
creator: Neil Hollywood
rights: Copyright (c) 2010
date: 2025-11-25
publication date: 2025-11-25
starting page: 31
ending page: 34
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v53i1-2.1455

The critical Nature of Anaerobic Phase in Coca Microfermentation methods to reproduce optimum cocoa Flavour potential similar to large scale fermentation.
type: item
description: Successful cocoa fermentation is defined by development of the optimum flavor potentials of cocoa. Cocoa flavor precursors are developed during fermentation. The initial anaerobic phase of the micro-fermentation process is demonstrated to be essential for proper development of cocoa flavor attributes.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Flavour Characteristic
  topic: keywords
subject: Fermentation
  topic: keywords
subject: Anaerobic Phase
  topic: keywords
creator: Noel.Y. Kuman
creator: Neil Hollywood
rights: Copyright (c) 2010
date: 2025-11-25
publication date: 2025-11-25
starting page: 27
ending page: 30
doi: 10.67387/pngjaff.v53i1-2.1454