This project part funded the purchase of a new HVI to be used for testing fibre samples from CSIRO’s cotton breeding program as well as most research projects at ACRI and other locations such as Canberra and Kununurra. As such the project provided part funding of enabling equipment to ensure up to date techniques are used for critical measurements of fibre quality in research. The new Uster HVI was part of CSIRO Plant Industry’s fibre testing laboratory which also contained a Shirley Fineness Maturity Tester and air conditioning required for such laboratories.

The new instrument was commissioned for the 2005 harvest and has completed three harvests to this time, with an average of 25,000 samples tested each season.

The instrument has ensured modern testing and fibre quality data has been successfully applied to research in a number of subject areas from breeding to agronomy and pest management.