Differential cotton products are highly demanded by customers to provide them with protection, while maintaining comfort during the service of the products. Protection against hazards and threats from environment, such as water, oil, chemicals, biological substances, is necessary for daily routine and for people with special missions. For this reason, protective clothing has been widely used for firefighters, mining workers, military forces and athletes. Coating is a very effective technology to bring extra functions to textiles, especially for performance textiles and coloured protective clothing the coating of extra layer is the core mechanism. Fluoro-based polymers or compounds were applied to fulfil the protection requirements of performance textiles, however, the toxic by-products from synthesis of those fluorobased chemicals have created threats to health and environment. Eco-friendly polymers are being sought for replacing the fluoro-based chemicals in the development of coating. As an example, polyurethane has been widely applied to coat textiles for different purposes. Even though the water proof membrane (WPU) and polymeric coating (TPU) can provide protection to cotton fabrics, it is important to develop versatile protection mechanism to coloured cotton fabrics. A combination of WPU using different pigments and TPU with different dyes have been used to provide a versatile protection and resolve this challenge.

This project focused on a coloured coating of waterborne polyurethane (WPU), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and trimethylated silica (TMS) on cotton fabrics by pad-knife-pad method. Different dyes/pigments were applied with TPU paste to bring colour to the coating.

The researcher was enrolled as a Research Assistant in the research group at RMIT University. The researcher conducted the experiments of coating and performed related characterisation's on the surface properties and protections of both the colour coated fabrics and TPU dyed fabrics. The data colour testing was employed to compare the shade of dyes with the pigments on the coloured fabrics. It has been found that the colour coated fabrics of WPU-PDMS-TMS has brought hydrophobicity and repellency against water, oil, chemicals and aqueous liquids. Comfort properties have also been assessed using thermal resistance and moisture management property tests. The coating technology has the potential to apply coloured cotton in protective clothing and performance textiles in different areas including military, mining and outdoor sportswear.

CRDC's Annual Operational Plan for 2020-21 (AOP): the third annual operational plan under the CRDC's Strategic RD&E Plan 2018-23.

The Australian cotton industry is reporting on its material sustainability topics for the five years to June 2019. One material topic is carbon emissions per bale of cotton. This paper updates the carbon footprint of Australian irrigated cotton, including ginning, for 2019, for the purpose of providing an updated outcome for the industry’s Sustainability Report.

The 2020-21 CRDC Researchers' Handbook is a key resource for all researchers working with, or interested in applying for funding from, the CRDC. Updated annually, the Handbook outlines the key information researchers need to know, including key dates, 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 are provided in the Handbook.

The winter edition of CRDC's magazine, Spotlight, brings you a feature on the industry's second Sustainability Report, which has been five years in the making. The report represents how important we as an industry view the impact and imprint we have on the land and society. The Australian industry continues to improve its record of stewardship of natural resources and takes this responsibility seriously, as evidenced by the production of the report, which shows we have made great improvements. Now is the time for the industry to seek more ways to continually improve.

The task now is to use the report data to set five-year targets for 2024 and 2029, along with plans to achieve those targets. The industry’s new PLANET. PEOPLE. PADDOCK. sustainability framework will guide the industry to set these ambitious targets, coordinate a whole-of-industry strategy to achieve them, and engage effectively with stakeholders on actions and progress.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it is how prepared we are to adapt to change, challenges and uncertainty. Building adaptive capacity is a core part of the CRDC Strategic Plan 2018-23, as we recognise our environment is dynamic, and we must be also. Through sound research and support for our research community, growers and industry, we aim to secure the future of our industry.

In this spirit, CRDC has been supporting research into how we manage diseases of cotton, looking to create natural suppressiveness in our soils, and treating the cause rather than the symptom. New research, some of it using many years of data collected in annual disease surveys, is building on what we already know to help growers alleviate the negative impact of disease by creating healthier soils. It all starts with the soil and we hope you enjoy reading the Spotlight feature on disease suppressive soils research.

CRDC undertakes an annual survey of cotton growers to gather information about farming practices and growers’ views on research, development and extension. This information helps to inform CRDC about the benefits of the research it invests in. Change in industry practice can be quantified by comparing information across the surveys conducted over the past 20 years. CRDC has published the results of this survey in two formats: a PDF of the survey report; and an interactive online digital dashboard, available at: www.crdc.com.au/publications/growersurvey

The autumn edition of CRDC's magazine, Spotlight, brings you a feature on the International Cotton Advisory Council’s (ICAC’s) Plenary Meeting held in Brisbane in December. In particular at ICAC, Australia's cotton RD&E was in the spotlight, which as ICAC Executive Director Kai Hughes says, has driven the efficiency, sustainability and productivity of Australian growers. While our growers have achieved yields of up to 2000 kilograms of lint per hectare, the world average is around 850 kilograms. Furthermore, we have one of the most robust research agendas in the world in terms of investment and number of researchers. The world is looking tous for guidance and we, as ICAC members, are on-hand to assist. Australian researchers, most supported by CRDC, featured heavily at the conference.

In this edition, and true to our name as world leaders of sound research, researchers led by QLD DAF’s Dr Richard Sequeira have developed a new matrix for silverleaf whitefly management. A new mobile application is also being ground-tested to monitor whitefly. These two developments are a result of consultation with growers and agronomists, as we strive to manage pests in the most efficient and effective way.

Additionally, the ability of our industry to continually improve and adapt is illustrated through our 2019 Grower Survey, in what was a challenging season due to widespread drought. We have provided a snapshot of what it is telling us in this edition.

Cementing our place as the most efficient growers in the world in terms of water use, we have included the results of the most recent irrigation benchmarking survey. It shows our growers are becoming even more productive. Compared to the 2012-13 study, cotton growers have improved water productivity to 1.20 bales/ML, up 0.06 of a bale/ML on previous studies, where efficiency was 1.12–1.14 bales/ML. This is a credit to growers and researchers.

In our last edition of Spotlight, we talked about the industry’s work in ensuring biosecurity preparedness, and in this edition, we talk about putting this plan into action with the arrival of fall armyworm in the Torres Strait.

River red gums are iconic in all cotton catchments and provide a number of valuable ecosystem services to growers, such as carbon sequestration, erosion mitigation and biodiversity conservation. There has been a decline in the health of these trees in recent decades, and it is likely that this decline is affecting the provision of ecosystem services. In addition, dead and dying trees contradict the environmentally conscious image the cotton industry aspires to. Cotton growers in the Namoi, Gwydir and Border Rivers catchments voiced their concern about the health of red gum trees and low recruitment rates and sought direction on how these factors could be addressed.

A literature review by Reid et al. (2007) provided some insight into the potential causes of river red gum dieback in the Namoi and Gwydir Valleys. The literature indicated water stress (declining groundwater levels, altered flood regimes and reduced groundwater recharge) was the most likely cause of river red gum dieback, but there were also links between grazing intensity and ecosystem health. Growers have pointed out a potential link between the abundance of lippia and ecosystem health in the Namoi Catchment. Climate change may also be implicated in river red gum dieback. With so many interacting variables operating simultaneously, there is still some ambiguity surrounding the causes of red gum dieback and low seedling recruitment, and it is unclear how growers can reverse the current trend of ecosystem decline.

Riverine ecosystems are the lifeblood of the cotton industry. They are also pivotal to the maintenance of much biodiversity in semi-arid catchments, being especially species rich and having high complementarity values (i.e. species that are not found in other parts of the landscape) compared to other vegetation types. Given the concentration of cotton production on major inland river systems, the industry has a duty of care to maintain the health of these ecosystems and protect them for future generations. By demonstrating concern for iconic national symbols in its backyard and restoring healthy riparian ecosystems, the cotton industry can build on its reputation for proactive environmental stewardship and responsible environmental management. This will have flow-on benefits for growers and marketers hoping to supply cotton to environmentally conscious manufacturers and consumers.

The average Australian cotton farm occupies approximately nine kilometres of river frontage and riparian lands. While the area of cotton production in any catchment is small, cotton farmers collectively are responsible for the management of many thousands of kilometres of riparian lands that have disproportionate importance for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem function in the semi-arid and subhumid landscapes where cotton is grown. Management of riparian zones on cotton farms forms part of a growers’ social license as the downstream impacts of a grower’s actions

2 of 37

has implications for the health and vitality of downstream sites and the river itself, and therefore determines the value of the system for the wider community.

River red gums are a national icon and fringe most river systems across the cotton-growing extent in eastern Australia. They attain grand proportions during their life-span of up to 1000 years, and capture the hearts and minds of growers who proudly point out their favourite big old tree on their farm. In addition to their aesthetic and cultural heritage values, well-connected riparian ecosystems dominated by river red gums enhance biodiversity conservation by facilitating the movement of wildlife and plant propagules through agricultural landscapes, and provide a range of ecosystem services to cotton growers and the community. However, tree health has deteriorated in many cases to the point that trees and riparian ecosystems are no longer able to provide ecosystem services, and may in fact be providing a range of disservices. For example, dead and dying trees are net C sources to the atmosphere as they respire more than they sequester, and weedy riparian zones are a source of insect pests in cotton.

Riparian areas present a complex range of management dilemmas for growers. Weeds (e.g. lippia), livestock grazing and water management influence the health of river red gum trees and the ecosystems they form. Healthy river systems are the lifeblood of the industry, and cotton growers need good information and accurate knowledge to manage riparian ecosystems responsibly. While there are areas of concern, there are also many examples of healthy riparian areas on cotton farms, and these act as exemplars for other growers to aspire to.