The growth of grain legumes into Australian farming systems has been increasing in the 1980’s. Part of their value in crop rotations is their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen in symbiosis with Rhizobium.

SIRATAC is an on-line computer-based pest management system for irrigated cotton. It makes recommendations for insect control on the basis of samples collected from individual management units.

Soil compaction in the cotton industry has been identified as a major limitation to crop growth. This led to the establishment of several CRDC funded research projects dealing with the management of soil compaction.

Techniques for the examination ad assessment of the physical condition of a soil in the field have been available for some time – Peerlkamp1967, Strutt 1970, and MAFF 1973.

Research on irrigated soils used for cotton production at the Agricultural Research Centre, Narrabri, over the past six years has identified several areas of concern.