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.

The disruptive nature of many of the broad spectrum insecticides on which heliothis control relies on cotton limits the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) programs, particularly where they place emphasis on natural enemies found in the cotton crop. From this perspective, there is a need for selective products that will satisfactorily reduce heliothis numbers yet conserve beneficial insects (parasites and predators). Nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV)is one microbial agent that may adequately fill this role. This paper presents trial data on NPV from Helicoverpa zea (Gemstar@) used against heliothis on cotton in southeast Queensland during the 1994/95 and 1995/96 seasons.

Each year, Crop Consultants Australia - with support from CRDC - conduct a qualitative survey of cotton consultants regarding their practices and attitudes, as well as those of their cotton grower clients. The resulting report provides valuable information to the Australian cotton industry regarding on-farm practices , helping to benchmark the industry's performance in a range of key areas over time. This report, published in March 2019, looks at the 2017-18 cotton growing season.

The Australian cotton industry has a long history of independent environmental assessments, demonstrating its commitment to monitoring and improving the industry’s environmental performance. The initial assessment, conducted in 1991, saw the cotton industry become the first major agricultural industry undertake such a task, and in 2003, the Second Environment Audit was conducted to continue documenting performance and practice change.

The Australian cotton industry has a long history of independent environmental assessments, demonstrating its commitment to monitoring and improving the industry’s environmental performance. The initial assessment, conducted in 1991, saw the cotton industry become the first major agricultural industry undertake such a task. This First Environmental Audit has been followed by additional audits and assessments in 2003 and 2012.