Tarramba leucaena: A success story for smallholder bull fattening in eastern Indonesia

Abstract

Keynote paper presented at the International Leucaena Conference, 1‒3 November 2018, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) cv. Tarramba was first introduced to eastern Indonesia (East and West Nusa Tenggara Provinces) as part of an ACIAR project in 2001‒2003. Its superior value was recognized immediately as it: was preferred by cattle over local leucaena; was less affected by psyllids; provided better dry season growth; and produced poles suitable for construction. In on-farm Bali bull feeding demonstrations, Tarramba leucaena doubled weight gains compared with traditional practices, enabling the most progressive farmers to win local bull-fattening competitions. Owing to strong demand for seed, the East Nusa Tenggara Assessment Institute for Agriculture Technology, in collaboration with the Provincial Livestock Department, assisted smallholders to establish seed orchards to ensure that professionally produced and packaged Tarramba seed was available for commercial sale. By the end of the ACIAR involvement, approximately 2,000 kg of Tarramba seed had been distributed to farmers, in addition to farmer-to-farmer seed sales. Approximately 800,000 ha of land in East Nusa Tenggara Province is suitable for Tarramba leucaena so the potential for this legume to contribute to beef production in the region is huge. Tarramba is now contributing to forage development in other parts of Indonesia as well as in Timor-Leste.

A successful smallholder cattle fattening project based on leucaena diets in eastern Indonesia

“…This may be attributed to several factors, including the growing value and demand for high-quality cattle, the diminishing availability of land for free grazing, and the escalating labour demands associated with herding free-range animals. i) A key factor was the success of the cultivar Tarramba [13] which gained significant recognition among both governmental authorities and farmers because of its favourable characteristics. It was favoured by cattle, exhibited reduced susceptibility to psyllid infestations, possessed a high leaf density, exhibited prolonged persistence throughout the dry season, and yielded superior poles.…”

Cattle production system in semi-arid area of Timor Island

“…Taramba. According to Nulik et al [16], the superiority of L. leucocephala var. taramba is preferred by cattle over local leucaena; was less affected by psyllids; provided better dry season growth; and produced poles suitable for construction.…”

Dry Season Biomass Production of Leucaena lecocephala cv Tarramba at 4 months regrowth and from Several Longer Regrowth Plants on Sandy Vertisol Soil at Naibonat, West Timor-Indonesia

“…The use of Leucaena leucoephala in the provision of high-quality fodder for cattle feeding has long been practiced in East Nusa Tenggara province started in Amarasi region [1] which farmers in the area in general use as the main ration for cattle fattening where leucaena leaf is used up to 100% in the diets [2]. However, the former cultivars introduced (e.g., K8, K28 K67, and Cunningham) were found to be susceptible to psyllid attack and thus Tarramba as a tolerant cultivar was introduced [3].…”