In this project, silica nanoparticle technology was used to boost drought stress tolerance in cotton. Silica nanoparticles with different sizes and shapes have been synthesised. The silica nanoparticles were then coated on cotton seeds. Various concentration of nanoparticles to be used for seed coatings have been tested. Silica nanoparticles/seed mass percentage of 0.6% were found to have the best effect on seed germination and plant development and potentially reduce the irrigation water for cotton growers. The work of this project is known and invited to do showcase at evoke2024 and two international conferences in American. The researcher of this project was selected to be one of 30 global Sustainability Stars recognised by American Chemical Society.

The Upper Namoi Camp Cotton networking lunch was delivered as part of the broader Camp Cotton program coordinated by Cotton Australia. The purpose of the project was to strengthen connections between Australian cotton growers and global supply chain stakeholders through a farm-based networking event during the cotton harvest season.

The project successfully delivered a networking lunch attended by Camp Cotton delegates, Cotton Australia staff, and local growers in the Upper Namoi region. The event provided an opportunity for delegates to experience Australian cotton production firsthand, hear directly from growers, and gain a stronger understanding of sustainability, innovation, water storage and allocation, plus regional family farming communities. Funding also supported transportation for delegates to the Pursehouse Farm.

The Lower Namoi Camp Cotton Riverside networking dinner was delivered as part of the broader Camp Cotton program funded by Australian cotton growers through Cotton Australia. The purpose of the project was to strengthen connections between Australian cotton growers, local communities, and global fashion and textile stakeholders through a community engagement event held in Narrabri during the Camp Cotton tour.

The event successfully brought together more than 100 attendees, including growers, industry representatives, researchers, local community members, and delegates from Australia and international brands and retailers. The dinner provided an opportunity for delegates to experience the Lower Namoi community firsthand, build relationships across the supply chain, and gain a greater understanding of Australian regional communities.

The purpose of this project was to upgrade the remaining 9 of the 22 DDCGI weather stations that were fitted with early-model 4G modems which have proven to be faulty and unreliable since installation approximately 3–4 years ago. These intermittent failures resulted in data dropouts and reduced confidence in the network during critical spray decision-making periods.

The DDCGI weather station network has been operating since 1993–1996 and provides free, localised weather data to cotton and grain growers across the Darling Downs. Following the successful replacement of 13 stations under a previous grant, it became clear that the ongoing issues at the remaining sites were due to modem reliability rather than mobile network coverage.

This project replaced the remaining faulty modems with the same proven modem configuration used across the rest of the network, creating a consistent, reliable platform across all stations. As a result, the network can continue to deliver accurate, real-time weather data to support safe and effective spray application practices and minimise the risk of off-target drift.

This project provided an NRM Technical Lead 1.5 days a week and a Biodiversity Innovation Broker 1.5days a week. The NRM Technical Lead role assisted the industry continuously improve its BMP recommendations for NRM on cotton farms. This was achieved through the development and implementation of annual CottonInfo Operating Plans, annual reviews and updates to myBMP and industry BMP guides and the development and implementation of tools, products & activities and collaborations. 

The project delivered a number of outcomes & outputs which have assisted the Australian cotton industry meet its environmental sustainability priorities and support the emerging industry in northern Australia. The highlights include the establishment of national biodiversity sustainability  priorities and metrics for industry sustainability reporting, the inclusion of biodiversity asset and management information for northern Australia into the  CottonInfo Biodiversity management webtool , Native Revegetation case studies based on the very successful 6 year partnership between Country Road and Landcare Australia to retore biodiversity on cotton farms and the partnership between CRDC, NSWDPI and FRDC to develop 5 case studies on the economic and environmental impacts of modern fish screens. 

The 2026-28 CRDC Researchers' Handbook is a key resource for all researchers working with or seeking investment from CRDC.

The Handbook outlines the key information researchers need to know, including the application process, funding and stipends available, the payment, evaluation and reporting processes and the CRDC’s intellectual property policy. These, and other critical details needed by researchers - like CRDC's grant management system, Fluxx - are provided in the Handbook.

WEEDpak is an integrated weed management (IWM) guide developed specifically for the Australian cotton industry. It provides growers and agronomists with strategies to combine various control methods to achieve sustainable and cost-effective weed control.

These two publications – an update to components of WEEDpak and a series of CottonInfo fact sheets – were updated in 2019 as part of Graham Charles's CRDC-supported PhD study: Developing the weed control threshold (DAN1601).