The purpose of this travel to the USA was to visit the US Department of Agriculture Arid-land Research Center during 16 May – 31 May 2014. Supervised by Dr. James Hagler, to learn the protocols for Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), and how to use this technique to identify the presence of pests in the gut of natural predators in cotton fields.

ELISA is a very sensitive test that detects the presence of a specific protein using antibody tagging. These specific proteins can be used to mark prey items (pests), which can then be identified in the gut-content of a predator (beneficial in cotton fields). We evaluated two methods: indirect ELISA and “sandwich” ELISA; and two protein marks: rabbit and chicken IgG. There was a difference in the detectability of the protein tags in different pest preys. Whitefly marks were difficult to detect, regardless of the method of application, while small topical marks on the tarnished bug Lygus spp showed positive in the assays.

The CRDC funded “Automation of recycle system- IREC Field Station” project saw the supply & installation of variable speed drive pump, sensor and recycle pump automation technology to complement the state-of-the-art automated irrigation system in use.

This project enables IREC to demonstrate to irrigators and visitors the benefits associated with a fully integrated automated irrigation and recycle system.

It has been funded significantly by CRDC with contributions from MI, Bidgee Automation, Padman Stops and other commercial businesses.

The IREC Field Station will now be able to exhibit a wide range of technologies and, management practices as well as share knowledge gained from the various research projects taking place at the site.

Bt cotton has enabled the cotton industry to reduce its use of insecticides and improve the lifestyles of cotton growers by producing a more reliable and sustainable crop through controlling the major pests, Helicoverpa armigera and H.punctigera. However, unexpectedly high numbers of H. armigera and H. punctigera moths have been emerging from Bt cotton field tests, suggesting that about half the moths emerging from the cotton/refuge system could be originating from Bt cotton.

As the moths emerging from refuges do not appear to be overwhelming those emerging from Bt cotton, the above results indicate a potential weakness in the refuge strategy of the Resistance Management Plan (RMP). Consequently, we need to quantify the relative number of moth emergences from Bt cotton and refuges as Bollgard III is adopted, to test that our anti-resistance strategies are working with Bollgard III.

Given the apparently low numbers of moths emerging from refuges, other sources of susceptible moths, such as unstructured refuges, may be more important than previously expected. Researchers will measure the ability of some unstructured refuges to produce moths and therefore support the RMP.

From the RMP perspective, survival in Bollgard III is relative to survival in refuges, but refuge attractiveness & productivity is very variable, again compromising the refuge strategy. Here we aim to reduce refuge variability by calibrating moth emergence from well managed and poorly managed refuges.

Despite the higher than expected numbers of Helicoverpa emerging from Bt cotton, these moths were not resistant to Bt toxins. Instead, they apparently survived on poorly expressing flowers and bolls and therefore could have been tolerating low amounts of toxin. Work from CES 1304 indicated that the F2 generation of field caught moths tolerated proportionately higher levels of Cry1Ac toxin (c. 8x higher) than Cry2Ab toxin (NS) when compared to laboratory colonies. There was further evidence that moths emerging from Bt crops were particularly tolerant to Cry1Ac.

Although Bollgard III with Vip3A will reduce the resistance risk, both the expression of Vip3A and the resistance frequencies of Helicoverpa are less than ideal, so control via Cry1Ac & Cry2Ab remain crucial. Consequently, researchers will continue the work of CES 1304 to compare the level of resistance and amount of tolerance to Bt toxins in moths emerging from Bt crops and refuges.

Travel to the USDA Kika De La Garcia Agricultural Research Centre at Weslaco in South

West Texas. This is an area of mixed cropping that includes cotton, sugarcane, soybean, corn,

and a range of other crops. Dr John Adamczyk, who is based at this institute, visited Narrabri

in 2007 to review research on IPM and develop collaborations (costs were largely covered by

USDA). Dr Adamczyk has extensive experience, especially with the implementation of Bt cottons

and evaluation of factors affecting their field performance and efficacy. He also has

considerable experience with management and research on other cotton pests. This visit was

valuable, especially in planning some of our own research to understand the interaction

between mirid control and mite outbreaks. The discussions also significantly benefitted

Cotton CRC PhD student Baoqain Lu in planning his research to understand how susceptible

Helicoverpa larvae survive in cotton and the economic significance of the damage they

cause.

Dr Adamczyk invited me to visit in June to review cotton research they are doing with the

natural enemy complex in the cotton/soybean system. However, I spent most of my time on

other issues including reviewing progress with Bao’s thesis, mostly directly related to cotton

production, but some related to management of other pests in different systems – which I

thought may be a source of ideas that could be relevant to cotton. I was asked to present a

seminar on cotton research in Australia, especially in relation to management of mirids in

Bollgard II cotton systems.

The Cotton export market is highly competitive and when it comes to quality Australia needs to be

the world's best. To realise this goal, the whole of the Australian Cotton supply chain must

continuously improve its supply of premium upland cotton.

Cotton spinning mills already recognise that Australian cotton has desirable fibre characteristics and

low contamination. These attributes increase efficiency for spinners and they actively seek

Australian cotton and are sometimes prepared to pay a premium. To maintain this reputation

continuous improvement across the whole supply chain is essential.

The Australian cotton industry and CSIRO have expanded investment in post-harvest cotton

processing research. The aim is to discover ways of maintaining and enhancing the quality of cotton

produced by Australian growers.

In July 2008 Rene van der SIuijs and the CSIRO team in Geelong opened the doors of their facility and

hosted the 7th 'Cotton Field to Fabric Course'. This was the 7th course run in Geelong and it has been

attended by participants from the length and breadth of the supply chain. They have included

Agronomists, Growers, Researchers, Ginners and even students studying design.

The course provided participants with an opportunity to see firsthand how cotton is processed from

a bale into fabric. At Geelong they have both full scale and miniature versions of the equipment used

in cotton processing factories used overseas including drawing and carding machines, spinning

frame, weaving machines, and dyeing facilities. Understanding how these processes occur helps

participants understand the importance quality standards and how our actions impact on the chain.

The Australian cotton industry will benefit from a focus on its customer's needs and a desire to

exceed their expectations. The' field to fabric 'course is one activity that the industry is undertaking

to increase knowledge of cotton quality. It comes highly recommended by all who have

participated.

The major output from this trip was to disseminate my latest research results to peers by presenting a spoken paper entitled "Frequency and characteristics of alleles conferring resistance to the Bt toxin Cry2Ab in populations of the low profile target pest Helicoverpa punctigera". In this talk I presented the first information on Cry2Ab resistance in H. punctigera in a context that complimented a prior presentation by Rod Mahon on Cry2Ab resistance in H. armigera. These presentations were attended by leading experts throughout the world in the field of Bt resistance, and were well received. Since returning from South Africa I have written some of this work into a scientific paper that is currently in internal review within CSIRO.

The talks that I attended in the symposia on “Pesticides, Resistance and Transgenics” gave an international overview of the latest thinking in this field. Many of the presentations were review papers rather than disseminations of empirical data. Stimulated largely by a recent controversial paper by Tabashnik et al.2, there was considerable discussion about the definition of resistance and the merits of different approaches for measuring it. A couple of presenters noted that the significant workload involved with performing F2/F1 screens precluded them from being a preferred method, and highlighted the potential danger of focusing on one gene(s) using the F1 tests while neglecting others. However, the feedback from these people after our talks was positive and complimentary of our approach, and acknowledged the appropriateness of the method for our situation.

This Travel Bursary helped me to attend the 2008 International Cotton Institute Course in Memphis, TN,

USA.

Features of course:

• Network with participants from around the world as well as cotton industry leaders.

• Provide background in all facets of the industry from growing, ginning, marketing,

shipping, milling and spinning including visits to USDA gin research labs and Cotton

Incorporated’s milling and spinning research facilities.

• Learning how to manually class cotton.

Due to the large percentage of Boll disorders and diseases that have occurred in Central Queensland Cotton production system in recent years, growers and advisers are attempting to find some answers to eliminate the risk of these occurring. The following project is a concept which is taken from the canopy management concept that a reduction of the canopy density can reduce the humidity in the crop, thus alleviating potential boll disorder conditions in wet seasons. This project looked at reduction of the plant stand within a linear metre of row to study the effect of the increase or decrease in plant densities on yield and boll disorders.

The season was an extremely wet season, at the time of boll opening and at picking, which was perfect for the results of this trial. However, due to some shortcomings of the experimental design and procedure, there was no significant difference in the trial, despite there being some areas where, with further research, may have some potential trends. In addition to the extremely wet finish to the season, a December hail storm heavily impacted on the crop which also may have affected the results negatively.

In order to completely understand this concept, the trial needs to be re-visited and conducted in such a way to alleviate any of the shortcomings of this pilot study and to ensure that the results and data are such that they can begin to provide a picture of what may be causing some of these events. Climatic conditions should be recorded within treatments in future trials, as this will assist in identifying what parameters are causing these disorder events. There is a limited amount of information available to the industry on how these disorders can be controlled or mitigated and therefore more research should be conducted in line with these ideas to assist the industry in combating these problems.

Plant growth promotion is a complex phenomenon that often cannot be attributed to a single mechanism, as most PGP microbes are capable of multiple mechanisms and in some cases their PGP effect may only occur through interactions with different microbes. It is important to note that any microbial agent added to the rhizosphere would have to interact not only with the plant but also with any other organism sharing the same ecological niche. To be successful the inoculant has to maintain a critical population mass in the soil and have the right conditions to exert its beneficial activity.

Despite the challenges, a growing variety of microorganisms with properties that can be exploited in plant growth promotion are being discovered and tested under field conditions, with increasing number of cases reporting success. Reductions in the uses of chemical fertilisers and pesticides as well as improved yield are the main direct benefits reported from use of inoculants. Indirect benefits are reduced build up of toxins in agricultural soils and reduced environmental pollution with agricultural runoff. Success is often associated with using a combination of inoculants with complementary beneficial traits, e.g. biofertilisers that increase nutrient availability in the proximity of the roots together with a mycorrhizal fungus that enhances the root system and assists the plant to absorb the nutrients. It is not surprising that often indigenous microbes are proving to be the most effective, as such microbes would suit the environmental conditions in the cropping system they are intended for. Nevertheless, indigenous microbes would still have to out compete other microbes for resources and, in the case of biocontrol agent, suppress pathogens.

The Australian GRDC has been investing in a Soil Biology research since 1992. Between 2002 and 2008 they have invested approx AUD 8,000,000 on the Soil Biology initiative, which they report was successful in generating economical, environmental and social benefits. Economical benefits were attributed to investment areas related to inoculants, disease control and nutrient balance. Environmental benefits were attributed to a reduced use of fertilisers and reduced energy input. The GRDC announced their next generation soil biology plan to run between 2009 and 2014. One of the main focuses of the plan is the Beneficial Microbes Program, which aims to isolate, test and commercialise microbial bio-inoculants for the grain industry. One of their rationales for such an investment is the readiness of the Australian

farmers to reduce on-farm chemical inputs and replace them with biological alternatives in order to reduce costs, increase sustainability and maintain healthy soils and ecosystems (GRDC Five years Business plan, 2009-2014).

The cotton industry, via the CRDC, would benefit from maintaining its program

on soil biology and, from reasons outlined above, extend research into isolation of cotton specific beneficial microbes, from different cotton growing regions in Australia. Other than isolating microbial agents for augmentation, further research should be directed into cropping practices that enhance existing and introduced beneficial microbes, such as controlling the amount of chemical inputs, which might otherwise suppress the activity of beneficials and increase the activity of detrimental organisms.

There is a great scope for collaborations between the different Research and Development Corporations in Australian agriculture and worldwide with regard

to the development of technology for e.g. screening for and identification of

microbes with beneficial traits; assessment of the benefit to the plant; testing

strains for commercialisation; designing best formulations for inoculant delivery; detecting and assessing the performance of inoculants in the soil; analysing soil microbial communities and the effects of the soil inoculation on soil health; and the studying of general effects of cropping practices on specific microbial communities. In general, it can be said that similar groups of beneficial microbes seem to be involved in promoting the growth of different plants. Examples for this are bacteria from the Bacillus, Azospirillum, Pseudomonas groups and mycorrhizal fungi. Nevertheless, there is enough evidence to suggest that particular microbial species, or even strains, benefit specific plants under defined conditions. Therefore, beside collaborative efforts, regional efforts need to be maintained to produce inoculants specific to the crop, agronomic practices, soil type and other environmental conditions.

Report from the Administration Officer, MCGA: I have recently taken up the reins of Macquarie Cotton Growers Association and, besides being on a steep learning curve, I am also following up on a few loose ends, one of which was the CRDC funding for the past funding period.

After a conversation with Sally Hunter yesterday, it has transpired that we have not invoiced the CRDC for the grant money that had been made available in 2011.

The application form that was submitted by MCGA outlines the benefits that our two projects would bring to our local cotton growing community. One of the projects, the Barefoot Bowls Day, was postponed, and instead a Field Day was held. This was supported by a group of growers and refreshments, lunch and a bus were provided by MCGA.

In addition a BBQ trailer was built with the help of some funding from DFACS. It is a very well designed setup and has been getting regular use through the local communities in the Lower Macquarie. We are providing it free of charge for not-for-profit organisations and will charge a user fee for larger companies or private use.

There have been additional costs with the BBQ trailer which include tyres, registration and proposed sign writing, which has been made possible with CRDC funding. Substantial in-kind input has been made by MCGA committee members in regard to the designing and administration of the building and management of the trailer.

Once the trailer undergoes sign writing, it will be a very visual advertisement for Macquarie Cotton Growers Association, as well as creating a sense of support by cotton growers within the communities.

The other significant outlay was the decision to have Rachael Robertson as the keynote speaker at our annual Grower Awards night. As outlined in the funding proposal, this was a great drawcard for the night, and has resulted in very positive feedback from our grower community.

The committee of MCGA feels that these funded projects have impacted very favourably with both the growers and the wider community. The BBQ trailer has raised the profile of the association in the community and is a very positive outcome. Field days are an integral part of supporting our growers and create enthusiasm and networking. Having a keynote speaker makes our awards night a more significant event and encourages our membership to socialise and celebrate.

I have emailed an invoice for $8,000 which was first raised in November 2011, and have also sent a second invoice for $2000, being the balance of the funding grant that was offered. As I am sending them direct from Phoenix, they will be separate from this email.

Macquarie Cotton Growers Association would like to thank the CRDC for making this funding available as it enables our committee to support our members and our community to a level that otherwise would not be possible.