The theme of the conference centered on organised grower groups and where they fitted in the agricultural research landscape. There were many stories on why the groups had been formed and some of these included; to drive innovation, to leverage funding, to provide social networking, to keep farms competitive and provide services that governments were failing to provide.

The conference also highlighted the changing state of Australian farmers generally. The average of a farmer is over 50 and rising, more than 70% have no formal qualifications and there are three employees per farm unit. It was highlighted that there was a need for assisting farmers with succession planning and the need to build capacity within the farming sector. This could be achieved through workshops and meetings.

Agricultural research funding was discussed. The argument of private verses public funding was centre stage. This included a discussion on both the funding and extension of rural research. With the governments trying to pull out of the public funding of R & D and extension who was going to pick up the slack? Some of the grower groups were attempting to take up this slack however group dynamics came into the fore, along with the lack of ability to source funding from the RDCs and other bodies.

The need to keep “ahead of the pack” was seen as a must for Australian farmers if they were to remain viable and profitable in the long term. It was noted that farmers had to be become 1.5% more productive every year to remain profitable and that society is past both peak oil and phosphate production. To achieve future viability there is the need to become more efficient, to ensure productivity growth and to keep using new technology as it became available. This may involve changing farming practices as smarter methods become more viable with the new technology. It was noted that new technology was expensive and that farming debt was increasing due to its use. The trend of increasing debt and declining profitability needs to be reversed if farmers are to remain viable.

The cotton industry has remained a viable industry for many years. This has been achieved through the adoption of new technology and the improvement of farming practices. This will need to continue into the future to ensure its future. Targeted research is a must to improve the returns to Australian cotton farmers. Compared with other industries, the cotton industry has mastered targeted research that has allowed the industry to remain profitable over a long period of time. The viability, profitability and future of any agricultural industry depends on the willingness of the industry to change as the operating environment changes.

This was a summer scholarship aimed at providing some experience/expertise to University of Southern Queensland student, Johanna Nielson in pathology starting with a well known pathogen.

Black root rot, a widespread disease throughout New South Wales, is a seedling disease caused by Thielaviopsis basicola. Infection of cotton seedlings by this fungal pathogen symptomized by black, discoloured roots, damages cortical tissue, resulting in slow, stunted growth. Incidence of black root rot is increasing in the Namoi valley. The growth rate and colour of isolates in culture from six major NSW cotton production regions were assessed to determine morphological or behavioural differences between regions. Seedling disease severity, and the biomass weights of infected plants were indicators of isolate pathogenicity. No significant difference was found between or within isolates from varying regions in radial growth rates, colony colour, plant biomass production, or disease severity. It is therefore unlikely that pathogenic or morphological variance is the cause of high incidences of black root rot in the Namoi valley.

The aims of this project are to:

1. Single spore the 24 Thielaviopsis basicola isolates in the long term storage culture collection

2. Assess morphology of the selected isolates

3. Test pathogenicity of selected isolates

The objective of this project is to determine whether there are morphological or pathological differences contributing to the increased severity and incidence of black root rot of cotton in the Namoi valley. Objectives are related to Farmers: 1.1 Successful crop protection, and will also expand knowledge of Thielaviopsis basicola amongst researchers and student.

There are significant resources available to cotton growers and their consultants about management options for specific weeds, efficient ways to utilise alternative control tactics such as cultivation or double knocks and impacts herbicides can have on cotton. The aim of this project was to develop a framework which ranked the various weed control tactics and their effect on glyphosate resistance development so growers have a tool to identify which are of greatest value for their individual situations.

The framework is presented as a herbicide resistance management strategy (HRMS) which incorporates individual or combinations of weed control tactics in cotton farming systems. The objective of the HRMS was that it was based on the principles underpinning sustainable integrated weed management. The draft HRMS was developed based on the 2 + 2 + 0 (2 non-glyphosate tactics in crop plus 2 non glyphosate tactics in fallow + survivor control) current best practice weed control tactics promoted in cotton.

The strategy addresses weed management in both the in crop and in summer fallow phases of the cropping system. The initial HRMS is developed on glyphosate resistance in barnyard grass in herbicide (glyphosate) tolerant cotton which was identified as the highest priority issue currently facing growers. The scenarios modelled include both irrigated and dryland cotton farming systems. The major differences between these systems are the regularity of the summer fallow phase and the extra crop competition effect provided by cotton grown in an irrigated system.

The HRMS was drafted initially by the TIMS technical panel (herbicides) and then opened for a period of consultation to industry stakeholders. Feedback from the stakeholders was addressed and incorporated into the strategy which was then ratified by TIMS. The strategy was presented at the 2014 Australian Cotton Conference.

The strategy will be communicated to industry via inclusion in the Cotton Pest Management Guide 2014, the cotton information team through the various cotton grower organisations and articles in publications including Spotlight and the Australian Cottongrower Magazine.

Resources that would aid adoption of the HRMS include articles in regional media, in field demonstration trials incorporating various weed control tactic combinations and promoting the HRMS as an Integrated Weed Management Tool

The HRMS will be reviewed by TIMS on an annual basis in a similar fashion to the insecticide resistance management strategy which has been in place for many years. It is intended that the strategy will be expanded to include more weed control tactics, modes of action and herbicide tolerant cotton varieties as they become commercially available. The HRMS is a voluntary weed management tool that provides a framework for managing the increasing problem of herbicide resistant weeds.

Precision irrigation is still in its infancy both in Australia and internationally. Despite the widespread promotion and adoption of precision agriculture in dry land cropping systems, the concept of precision irrigation or irrigation as a component of precision agricultural systems has not been widely canvassed nor its potential evaluated. This report is the outcome from a NPSI funded review of relevant irrigation research, existing technologies and the use of precision irrigation. It includes an assessment of the role of current irrigation application technologies in precision irrigation, as well as variable rate applications, adaptive control and the sensing and decision support requirements. The review also provides a framework to guide research and development of precision irrigation and its associated sensing, control, and decision support technologies.

The aim of the review was to detail the current state of the art of precision irrigation, including:

* an agreed conceptualisation and definition of precision irrigation,

* conceptualisation of how precision irrigation might be implemented for each of the current

irrigation application systems (sprinkler surface and micro), including as appropriate the

sensing, control and decision support requirements,

* identification of opportunities for and potential benefits from precision irrigation,

 identification of current research in precision irrigation and more particularly a clear

direction for future research in precision irrigation, and

* development of a series of case studies where precision irrigation is being implemented in

whole or part.

It is significant that no systems were identified in this country that could truly be classified as precision irrigation systems. However research is active in a number of areas relevant to precision irrigation and many of the component tools and technologies have been or are being developed. Examples of these are illustrated in the case studies included throughout the review and include:

* use of management zones in horticulture,

* automation of surface irrigation,

* real-time optimisation of surface irrigation,

* spatially varied applications from centre pivot and lateral move machines,

* vision sensing of crop attributes, and

* irrigation scheduling using remotely sensed crop factors.

Cotton Compass prepared a series of modules for planned cotton marketing seminars as requested by CRDC . The seminars were designed to cover off on a full range of topics, so that grower associations could have a choice of modules for delivery at each location. Unfortunately, due to various seasonal and other issues, only two of the proposed seminars were completed prior to June 30, 2012.

Promoting Water Smart Infrastructure Investment is a water and energy use efficiency project

designed to build the capacity of cotton irrigators to adapt to reduced water availability and

increasing energy costs. It has helped irrigators make informed decisions about infrastructure

change and to accelerate adoption of irrigation best practice.

Water availability is often limited for cotton production. Irrigators also face further potential

cutbacks with the implementation of the Murray Darling Basin Plan so must continue to

improve their water use efficiency (WUE).

An important outcome of this project has been to establish water use efficiency benchmarks

for the Australian Cotton Industry which enables the irrigated cotton industry to monitor and

determine the rate of change over the years. At a farm level, this allows irrigators to compare

their own performance with industry benchmarks and identify potential improvements. The

collection of high quality WUE data is also essential for sound evidence-based policy

decisions. For these reasons, the collection of robust irrigation benchmarking data for the

Australian cotton industry should continue.

The Gross Production Water Use Index (GPWUIfarm) is used to benchmark WUE. The

GPWUIfarm for the 2012/13 season was 1.12 bales/ML. This figure can be used to compare

benchmarks previously collected for the 2006-07 and 2008-09 seasons, which were 1.17 and

1.14 bales/ML, respectively. Interestingly, the seasonal conditions varied considerably for

the years the data was collected. The 2006-07 and 2008-09 had reduced plantings, low water

availability and cotton prices. In contrast 2012-13 saw record plantings and full production.

Despite this, statistical analysis found no significant difference between the three seasons

indicating that the cotton industry is achieving similar water use efficiency in years of full

production to that achieved in years of low water availability. However there was significant

variation in GPWUIfarm between individual farms, indicating scope for further efficiency

gains.

The Australian Government is providing incentive funding to modernise on-farm

infrastructure. While this provides an opportunity for Australian Irrigators, it has resulted in

the rapid expansion of overhead pressurised systems that are associated with higher energy

costs.

After years of improving water use efficiency, attention must now be placed on energy use,

and on–farm energy use efficiency. Benchmarks for energy use efficiency should be

established to complement water use efficiency, as this will maximise the efficient use of

water and energy on-farm through continuous improvement.

This project has increased the awareness of on-farm energy assessment through training and

on-farm demonstrations. While energy have not yet been established, this

project has heightened interest in this area, particularly Level 3 energy assessments (eg Pump

performance evaluation). A Pump Efficiency Monitor (PEM) was developed by the National

Centre for Engineering in Agriculture (NCEA) and has had initial trials on cotton farms. The

PEM continuously measures water flow, hydraulic head, engine and pump RPM and diesel

consumption during a pumping event. This information is used to examine pump

performance and identify areas for efficiency improvements.

Four level 2 energy assessments were conducted which showed a wide range in energy use

between the farms. The energy use varied between 6 and 12 GJ/ha, with costs ranging

between $208 and $374 per ha. Diesel energy inputs ranged from 151 to 304 L/ha. Energy

benchmarking is a critical step to improving on-farm energy use. This project has shown the need to continue working with cotton irrigators to examine on-farm energy use. High

variability in energy use between farms is evident in the assessment results, which highlights

opportunities for energy savings. Similar to WUE benchmarks, energy use efficiency

benchmarks allow irrigators to compare their own performance to regional and industry

averages and to investigate the potential for improvements. However, practical difficulties in

collecting Level 2 energy assessment data appear to be a barrier to adoption of on-farm

energy assessments. Further research could investigate improved methods for keeping onfarm

records of fuel and electricity use, or more easily accessing and collating energy use

data already available, such as that from tractor performance monitors.

Irrigation training with a focus on alternative irrigation systems was a significant output of

this project with a total of 26 training events delivered to 342 cotton irrigators, consultants,

retailers and industry personnel. Evaluation from these workshops showed participants had a

better understanding of irrigation best practice and importantly better understood the planning

and design of various irrigation systems. They were armed with greater knowledge as to

which questions to ask when considering irrigation infrastructure change.

A significant output of this project is the publication “A Review of Centre Pivot and Lateral

Move irrigation installations in the Australian Cotton Industry”. In collaboration with Qld

DERM and NCEA, this publication examines the changes in centre pivot and lateral move

installations since the previous review conducted in 2001 by Foley and Raine. It has

identified the perceived benefits and limitations associated with the use of CPLM irrigation

systems and will contribute to better informed investment decisions on the uptake of CPLM

machines.

The Promoting Water Smart Infrastructure Investment project team has been involved in a variety of field days, conferences and industry forums. Strong collaborative links have been fostered throughout this project with a range of cotton extension, development and research organisations. NSW DPI continues to build a wide network including key industry organisations and personnel with which they have a strong rapport.

Eretmocerus hayati was first released in late Oct 2004 and over the next 2.5 years it has since spread has far south as the Sydney Basin, west into the northern NSW cotton production areas and in Qld from the NSW border to the Burdekin and as far west as St George, Roma and Emerald; coverage throughout this area is now complete. Levels of parasitism of 4th instars across cotton production areas prior to the releases (1995-1999) averaged 0.04±0.01. In April and May 2007 this had increased to 0.23±0.02 an approximately 6 fold increase. Prior to the releases parasitism of the silverleaf whitefly in 585 samples did not exceed 60% of 4th instars whereas in April/May 2007, 68 of the 478 samples exceeded 60% parasitised 4th instars. Eretmocerus hayati is now the most widespread and abundant parasitoid of silverleaf whitefly in Australia.

Assessing impact is not been straightforward, however, a recent survey by Growcom showed that in coastal vegetable production areas growers observed that silverleaf whitefly numbers were considerably lower and many had either not had to intervene against the whitefly or had greatly reduced the need to apply insecticides. However, the drought and the subsequent lack of crops and weeds have made it more difficult to assess probable impact. The reason is that our work in the vegetable production system in Bundaberg has shown that silverleaf whitefly is better able to colonise crops at a distance to the nearest source. This data is still preliminary, but suggests a crop needs to be <2 km from the nearest source in order to achieve optimal colonisation by the parasitoid. The lack of suitable crops and weed refuges is likely to have considerably changed the landscape from what would normally be expected, this is likely to inturn significantly affect the way both the parasitoid and the whitefly interact with the landscape, but the Bundaberg study suggests that parasitoid will be more affected by habitat fragmentation than the pest.

In, the release of E. hayati has been a remarkable success. To be able to demonstrate such wide coverage in a short period of time and a ready capacity to establish suggests that E. hayati holds considerable promise has a control agent. The next step is to combine on farm management decisions with our knowledge of landscape features such as farm layout and cropping composition in order to understand the circumstances which increase or decrease the capacity for the parasitoid to effectively control silverleaf whitefly numbers. Through this we will be able to develop a grower management guide to how best to encourage the parasitoid to colonise crops and in so doing help achieve a sustainable reduction in the use of pesticides to manage silverleaf whitefly and an overall reduction in the impact of the pest on producers’ bottom line.

Well designed irrigation storages and water courses on cotton farms can aid in the removal of sediment, nutrients and pesticides from irrigation water and enhance their habitat value for native plants and animals. This brochure offers key principles for increasing the water use efficiency, water quality and habitat value of cotton farm water course and storages.

Sarah Hood:This project provided for the engagement of a Consultant, Sarah Hood, to undertake an interim role of the Cotton Industry Development Extension Officerss in the St. George-Dirranbandi irrigation area. Sarah maintained the essential extension activities including the publication of Cotton Tales newsletters, facilitation of the Ballonne Big Day Out field day, regional liaison with researchers, collaboration with the NRM extension and RWUE 2 projects.

A strong partnership was maintained with the regional cotton grower associations at St George and Dirranbandi, the CCA and Cotton Australia. Linkages were maintained with the Maranoa Balonne Catchment management association to share technical information resources and to provide input into regional catchment management plans.

Heliothos egg collections for resistance testing was conducted by a consultant, Jamie Street, as a component of this project. Resistance data was published in Cotton Tales newsletters.

Disease surveys were conducted by the Plant Pathology research team.

This project has demonstrated the successful implementation of a partnership with a private consultant for the delivery of an extension program on a part time basis. Sarah Hood conducted a private consultancy business - itself a Cotton CRC affiliate, with substantial mutual benefit overall.

I believe both reinform nematodes and Fusarium (race 4) have the characteristics that could

potentially, affect the Australian cotton industry if they were to be introduced to Australia. There

is a feeling in the industry that breeders will overcome Fusarium and there has been a loosening

of farm quarantine procedures, this will increase the chance of an introduced pathogen spreading

throughout the industry. The best defence that Australian cotton growers have against these two

pathogens is sound quarantine procedures and the policy of 'Come Clean - Go Clean' that is in

place on most cotton farms. The Australian cotton industry is in a pretty good position to

if they are introduced to Australia, due to this policy.