In June 1997 a Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) funded project was initiated in the Emerald Irrigation Area (EIA), for the development of management strategies to minimise off-site movement of pollutants(sediment, nutrient and pesticides) at the paddock or fun scale (Waters et al. 1998). In particular, the goal was to apply plot scale research thongs at the paddock scale and to assess the practicality and feasibility of adoption of these management practice by farmers' Planting cotton into standing wheat stubble was one management option which proved to be highly effective at reducing pollutant movement. A further unexpected finding was an early season reduction in insecticide sprays on cotton that was planted into the standing wheat stubble. This finding has generated interest from growers and researchers because of the need for environmentally friendly pest management measures in this area which is characterised by high levels of insecticide resistance in pest populations. Over the past two seasons there has been an increase in the number of glowers planting cotton into standing wheat stubble in the EIA. Growers have been enthusiastic to assess the potential for the rotation to reduce reliance on chemical sprays and also to reduce off-site movement of pollutants in run off The wheat cotton rotation (W-C) has resulted in a reduction of up to three early season sprays in 1997/98 on several farms in the district in what was regarded as a high pest pressure season. The 1999/2000 season was a low pressure season and Heliothis numbers in the wheat cotton crops were not significantly different to conventional cotton crops in the EIA. Whilst a W-C has proven to be highly effective in reducing pollutant movement in runoff; further monitoring needs to be carried out over a number of seasons to assess the full effectiveness of the W-C as a means of reducing reliance on chemical applications. This paper will outline the development of W-C in the EIA and its potential use as a tool for Heliothis management