The following industry take home messages are a summary of practical findings pertinent

to growers and industry personnel:

• Growers should continue to delay sowing to avoid cool conditions that favour

seedling disease and black root rot, and treat seed with both fungicide and

insecticide to minimise the risk of stand loss from seedling disease and wireworm.

• Incidence and severity of black root rot may increase under overhead irrigation, so

growers should avoid installing overhead irrigation systems in fields with a history

of the disease and take active steps to suppress the disease in overhead irrigated

fields.

• Seedling disease is caused by a large and variable group of fungi.

• Varietal resistance and farm hygiene are key tools in continuing to reduce the

impact of Verticillium and Fusarium wilt on cotton production. However growers

should practice all aspects of integrated disease management for these diseases as

varietal resistance can break down in cool seasons.

• Boll rot fungi have the potential to wipe out yield. Always manage the crop to

avoid rank growth.

• Industry awareness of biosecurity threats is crucial in preventing and/or

successfully eradicating incursions of exotic plant pathogens. On-farm biosecurity

and farm hygiene measures underlie whole of industry biosecurity awareness and

preparedness.

• Dynasty CST continues to be the most effective fungicide seed treatment for

seedling disease.

• Several fungicides have shown promise as seed treatments for black root rot

although further research is required. Bion continues to be the most effective seed

treatment against black root rot.

• Rotation with wheat does not appear to reduce levels of black root rot.

• Biofumigation is an effective means of reducing the impact of black root rot,

although benefits may be masked when conditions do not favour disease.

• Growers should test plant growth in fields suspected of being deficient in VAM by

growing test strips of chick pea, linseed or cotton and comparing to growth in

recently cropped soil.

These take home messages are a best bet approach to minimising the impacts of cotton

diseases on sustainable cotton production and compliment existing Integrated Disease

Management guidelines. Adoption of these take home messages will improve industry

biosecurity and reduce the risk posed by exotic and endemic threats to Australian cotton

production.