This project has part funded field operation costs charged by NSW DPI to CSIRO for experiments on ACRI at Narrabri in 2006/07. More than 10 projects have been supported and all field operations have been done well through collaboration within CSIRO and between CSIRO and NSW DPI.

Detailed aspects of each specific project will be reported in their annual and final reports.

CSIRO field research has addressed all important areas for yield and sustainability: breeding, disease resistance, soil and water management and insect management. Results of that research have substantially improved industry performance and value.

This PhD project aims to determine the mechanisms, by which soil sodicity impacts on the uptake of nutrients and growth of cotton crops, in order that soil sodium levels can be factored into crop nutritional management decisions.

The mechanisms, by which sodium impacts on cotton nutrition include;

• Influencing the ability of plant to access nutrients by affecting soil structure and hence PAWC, waterlogging and root growth.

• Altering the availability of nutrients to plants through soil pH, exchange equilibrium and oxidation-reduction potential changes

• Interacting directly with nutrients at the membrane surfaces throughout the plant.

An understanding of these factors has important practical implications for crop nutritional management and may lead to the development of appropriate tools for the diagnosis of sodicity-induced nutritional imbalances.

The nature of the impact of sodicity on the growth and nutrition of cotton in the field was determined through a program of plant measurements and tissue analysis in a cotton crop grown on a field with varying levels of sodicity in different parts of the field. The results showed that as the level of sodium in the soil increased, there was a corresponding increase in the uptake of sodium and decrease in the uptake pf phosphorus ad potassium by the crop. These results are illustrated in the attached graph (Dodd_SodicityGraph).

The quantitative relationship between the level of sodium in the soil and the growth and nutrition of the cotton plant is currently being determined in a glasshouse experiment, in order that the variability present in a field situation can be removed. Sodic soils were artificially created by leaching large volumes of solutions with different cation concentrations through given volumes of soil. In this way, the ESP of the soil could be manipulated while keeping other factors, such as soil electrical conductivity, mineralogy and nutrient levels constant. Analysis was carried out in order to determine that the synthetic soil conditioning agent polyacrylamide has no impact on the availability of nutrients to the plant in the soil solution. The effects of the physical and chemical properties of sodic soil were then separated in the glasshouse experiment using polyacrylamide treatments. The progress of this experiment is illustrated in the attached photograph (Dodd_GlasshousePhotograph).

It is hypothesized that the relationship between the level of sodium in the soil and the performance of the cotton plant is affected by a number of factors, especially the presence of salinity and high levels of magnesium in the soil profile. Following the completion of the above glasshouse experiment, it is envisaged that any chemical effect of sodicity on the performance of the cotton plant and its interaction with salinity and magnesium will be further investigated through solution culture experiments. This data will then be related to soil test data through soil solution analysis. Additionally, the physical effect of sodicity on the performance of cotton and its interaction with salinity and magnesium will be further investigated by quantifying how these factors influence soil physical structure.

The focus of the project has been to provide support for growers and consultants of broadacre crops, as they attempt to implement IPM. The major pest species that attack cotton, are for the most part, not specific to cotton. Therefore, cotton‐growers and their advisers are managing these pests across their farms, not just in cotton.

Similarly, populations of natural enemies which are a vital component of IPM, breed, take refuge and feed across the landscape. With most cotton‐growers also being grain‐growers, they need ready access to information that encompasses the range of crops they grow. The aim of this project has been to facilitate the implementation of IPM throughout the farming system, raising awareness of the benefits, challenges and implications of different tactics. A farming systems approach was made possible through the joint funding of the project by CRDC and GRDC.

Achieving outcomes in a farming‐systems context has been possible through having a multifaceted project bringing together research, development and extension simultaneously. Working with groups of growers and advisers, maintaining regular two‐way communication with growers, consultants, agribusinesses and extension colleagues have been critical to facilitating the awareness of pest management strategies. Building on this awareness, the project has undertaken targetted research, and extension activities to provide detailed technical information that can be used in making management decisions. Critically, the project provided further support to growers and consultants attempting to implement IPM by ensuring access to researchers at industry meetings, field days and in person, to discuss the issues and respond to specific enquiries.

Collaboration with colleagues in research and extension, has been essential to achieving outcomes for industry in a range of area (an IRMS that accommodates both cotton and grains, SLW and other pest outbreaks). The industry networks and extension activities of this project have ensured the dissemination of research outcomes to industry as they have emerged, facilitating their uptake by industry. In addition, the project has facilitated discussion amongst researchers and industry via the annual IPM Forum, strengthening relationships and sharing research findings.

Farmscaping

Whilst many components of pest and natural enemy management on farms have

been explored, it is difficult to determine whether the implementation of these on individual farms will result in significant direct benefits. It seems likely that in highly cultivated regions, a landscape approach will be necessary to achieve quantifiable benefits. However, the extent of knowledge in Australia of the ecology (particularly hosts, movement) of even our major pest and natural enemy species is currently insufficient to design farmscapes or landscapes that may deliver benefits.

The CRDC project funds for “Operational Costs for Cotton Experiments” is used to fund cotton experimental trials at the Australian Cotton Research Institute (ACRI). The management of cotton growing for experimental trial cotton is dependent on the aims of the specific trial. However cotton growing at ACRI is undertaken to industry standards with the intention of maintaining the long-term productive capacity of the land. ACRI has BMP certification through Cotton Australia. Last season 55Ha of cotton was grown at ACRI on behalf of NSW Department of Primary Industries researchers. Growing cotton in trials is intended to meet the needs for cotton experimentation in agronomy, entomology, farming systems and pathology.

The 13th Australian Cotton Conference in August 2006 provided an excellent 'showcase' to

enhance the outputs from CRDC funded research to the industry. The largest gathering of

cotton growers in the industry calendar was presented with information in various formats

during the conference program that demonstrated (and extends) improvements in outcomes

for the industry and it's regional economies.

Growers and industry personnel were challenged to respond to (adopt) the findings of

research and extension projects through 'less uncertainty and greater clarity' around

maximising their profitability and sustainability through the adoption of home grown

Research and Development.

The conference programme showcased improvements in the industry's 'Triple Bottom Line'

from CRDC funded research. This was enhanced by the attendance of over 1,300 industry

delegates and the discussion and networking opportunities over the 3 days.

The production of 'virtual posters' and the conference proceedings provides an on-going

record of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry at this time. Research providing

economic, environmental and social outcomes was deliberately incorporated and linked in the

conference programme.

The conference programme targeted the major issues of cotton farm profitability,

Opportunities for our product along the value chain and our industry's contribution to the

economic, environmental and social outcomes of regionalcommunities.

Travel and Conference Participation - Pacific Rim Conference on the Biotechnology and Environmental Impact of Bacillus thuringiensis, Victoria, British Columbia.

The evidence points to the Cry toxins having to bind more than one receptor molecule to create the pores that lead to death of the host. In each species tested, a cadherin-like molecule has been identified as one of the receptors. However, the co-receptor may vary between species. Aminopeptidase N, which was the first Cry receptor identified, is important in species like Manduca sexta but in other species (e.g. Heliothis virescens) alkaline phosphatase appears to be important. Glycolipids may also play a role but in what manner is uncertain.

Tabashnik’s group has detected Cry2Ab resistance in pink bollworm. No details were available.

A significant shift in target specificity of a Cry protein has been demonstrated. The putative binding loops of Cry1Aa were modified by protein engineering, converting a lepidopteran-toxic to a dipteran toxin.

Some preliminary work on developing markers through microsatellites for Cry1A resistance in H. armigera was reported. It was not evident that this approach had a great deal to offer.

A value adding approach to was presented. After separating the grains, the rice stems were dried, powered and formulated as a sprayable bioinsecticide for use on other crops.

Herculex®RW, a transgenic maize expressing the Cry34/35 binary toxins, has full regulatory approval for food and stock feed in the USA. Herculex was developed by Dow AgroSciences.

Equipment Grant

Climate change will affect cotton through rising atmospheric CO2 levels, higher temperatures, lower humidity (high Vapour Pressure Deficit (VPD)) and reduced water availability. Fortunately predictions for climate change effects are similar to some of the extremes in climate experienced within and across cotton regions; therefore, opportunities exist to harness current understanding of cotton system adaptation to climate variability to plan for projected climate change. Although some research had previously been conducted on the main effects of rising CO2 and temperature, VPD, and reduced water, there had been virtually no research that had addressed the real-world interaction of rising CO2, temperature, VPD and reduced water. Research supported by CRDC (PhD project of researcher: the integrated effects of projected climate change on cotton growth and physiology) has shown that while some aspects of cotton growth are improved by elevated CO2, there are issues emerging on the availability and use of water to generate this growth. In the glasshouse, cotton has shown improved early growth rates in elevated CO2, which was the result of improvements in both leaf-level photosynthesis and water use efficiency (WUE). However, early cotton growth in elevated CO2, especially at elevated temperatures, increased total plant water use despite improvement in WUE. In water-limited situations, this suggests that more water may be invested in early vegetative growth (leaves and stems) and therefore, less water may be available for later reproductive growth (bolls and lint). Further research is needed (including field studies) under a wider range of future climatic conditions to validate these initial outcomes, extend them through the full growth cycle, and to begin to explore management options for adaptation. Therefore, the development of the National Facility for Cotton Climate Change Research (CSP1402) and the cotton production in a future climate sister project (CSP1501) have been crucial aspects of investigating the response and adaptation of field-grown cotton in Australian production systems to projected climate change.

This work examines the potential value of a simple measurement of labile and nonlabile soil carbon fractions to provide widely applicable monitoring indicators to assess the sustainability of cotton cropping systems.

Capital expenditure under the Australian Government, Department of Agriculture, Action on the Ground project “Determining optimum N strategies for abatement of emissions for different irrigated cotton systems” resulted in the procurement of automated weather stations and semi-automated greenhouse gas sampling systems to service the three core sites of the project.

Soil moisture is a key driver in the generation of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas released during some stages of nitrogen cycling. This equipment has allowed the remote monitoring of weather conditions to guide project staff in sampling strategies. Additionally, continued sampling for greenhouse gases during very wet weather is possible utilising the semi-automated systems. It is these very wet conditions that are critical in determining greenhouse gas emissions, yet are prohibitive of safe access by sampling teams.