The Dryland cotton industry is often disadvantaged by not being able to plant within the limited time available under the planting window. The ideal planting conditions do not necessarily match with the planting window timeframe meaning often crops are forced to be planted in less than ideal conditions.

Our aim is to find out what growers are using now to overcome issues of planting in less than optimal conditions. We also aim to document what equipment is available from manufacturers here and overseas which may be applicable to our conditions.

This information is likely to not only be suitable for dryland but also for irrigated cotton

The project undertook a desk top study to review available planting options that might result in improved establishment of cotton seeds in rain grown cotton production. A key factor in the successful establishment of raingrown cotton was that seeds planted into compacted soils led to the development of a kinze crack resulting in a dry layer surrounding the seed, preventing germination and establishment. Strip tilling and the use of an NDF SA650 single disc opener may overcome some of the issues associated with planting a sensor that also determines the varying moisture layer would better assist growers seeking improved stands.

Through the grower survey we now have a very good idea of many of the ways growers are modifying existing equipment to overcome the difficulties of planting into less than ideal conditions. We know which are working and why as well as what didn’t work. This information will now be widely available.

The desktop research has been valuable because we now know what is available to purchase of the shelf and the reality is that not much of that equipment will be suitable. A couple of machines are worth working with further as they do appear to have some potential. Pat also detailed a lot about soil structure and how this is affecting seedling performance and possible ways to remediate. Kinze crack was identified by many growers as a problem and few realised this was due mainly in part to poor structure of the soil.

Through this research we know that there is not a machine already available to use and we also have confirmed that it does not appear any growers have solved the problem already.

The initiative aims to encourage more young people into the cotton industry by demonstrating the diversity of employment opportunities available within cotton production in Australia. Through the RYIC program, the committee endeavour to strengthen the cotton workforce as one of the predominant and rapidly developing industries of the Moree district.

The Rotary Youth in Cotton camp is an annual event, which has been functioning in the Moree district

for several years, as an initiative of Moree & District Rotary Club and the assistance of local volunteers

working within the cotton industry. The camp is attended by year 10 and 11 high school students from

the north-west region. Participants visit a number of cotton production environments, including

farming properties and cotton gins to interact with people in the many and diverse roles within the

industry, from agronomy, irrigating, machinery operation and maintenance through to research,

extension, marketing and finance.

Fusarium wilt is considered by many growers, ginners, consultants and other industry personnel as the most important constraint to sustainable cotton production to have developed in recent years. The discovery of Fov in many new cotton districts sent shock waves throughout the industry. Districts which have had the disease confirmed from plant samples include: Bourke; the upper Namoi; Warren and Narromine in New South Wales and; St George; Moura and Theodore in Queensland. This project had a number of objectives to address knowledge gaps and obtain data to improve the management of this disease.

In excess of 660 specimens, suspected of being fusarium wilt, have been examined during the course of the project. Approximately 50% of these tested positive for Fov with most being strain VCG 01111 which was the original strain identified from the Darling Downs. No additional pathogenic strains have been identified to date. A reference collection of preserved strains of Fov is being maintained at the DPI&F laboratories at Indooroopilly. A database, which includes all records isolations of Fov made at the Indooroopilly laboratories, has been completed and is searchable under several fields such as, VCG, cotton variety, state, district or year. Fusaric acid production by various isolates of Fov does not appear to correlate with the virulence of Fov isolates in any way and acid production is not likely to be a useful tool to identify pathogen diversity.

Seed studies showed that Fov was not detected in any of the seed, hand picked from healthy plants in any season. Furthermore, in 2002 and again in 2004, Fo was not detected in seed hand picked from plants showing wilt symptoms in several localities in Queensland and northern New South Wales. The level of Fusarium oxysporum was generally low (8-11%) in seed from infected plants and from ginned cotton, harvested from known infested fields. Results from studies on persistence of Fov in seed showed that the fungus did not persist for more than six months when infected seed was stored in paper bags in the laboratory. Hence, it is unlikely that acid delinted, fungicide treated seed will transmit Fov and Dr David Nehl (NSW DPI) and Dr Joe Kochman (QDPI&F) have used these results to revise the cotton seed production protocols, should Fov be identified in seed production areas. This draft protocol has been circulated to Industry bodies for comment.

Many of the current strategies to manage the disease have been developed as a result of the project work carried out at Mr Graham Clapham’s property ‘Cowan’. The “Cowan” trial site is recognised by the cotton industry as a high disease incidence site, providing unbiased information on disease management practices. Some specific outcomes include: (i) the development of the ‘F rank’ system to allow growers to compare resistance of varieties to Fov, (ii) the identification of germplasm with resistance to the pathogen which has lead to breeding and release by CSIRO of Sicot F1, a variety with significantly improved resistance to Fov and with acceptable yield and quality characteristics and, (iii) the identification of some agricultural practices, such as planting date and crop rotations, that may reduce the incidence of the disease. The management strategies that have been developed have not increased pesticide usage.

A PCR based diagnostic assay has been developed to detect the two Australian strains of Fov. The TaqMan® assay format offers the following advantages over the gel-based diagnostic test for Fov: (i) increased specificity, (ii) increased sensitivity, (iii) faster sample processing (2-3 hours with no post PCR processing such as running gels), (iv) reduced risk of contamination, (v) quantitation, and (vi) it is amenable to high sample throughput. To date, 1706 samples have been tested, of which 455 were positive for Fov, 1246 were negative and 5 were cross-specificities (0.29%). Most importantly, there were no false negative results recorded – in all cases where fusarium wilt was known to occur, Fov was correctly detected and identified. All samples have been correctly diagnosed and results correlated with those from traditional identification based on morphology, vegetative compatibility and pathogenicity tests.

Cotton growers and consultants are becoming concerned with the level of

compaction in soils in the Gwydir. The feeling is that compaction is increasing due

in part to the use of round bale pickers and to working the soil when it is still above

the plastic level at depth.

Compaction is believed to be impacting the productivity of the region. It is

influencing crop growth, nutrition and water use and may be increasing water

logging.

The project objectives were;

 To increase the awareness and understanding of the compaction in irrigated

cotton soils in the Gwydir Valley.

 To investigate possible crop rotations and mechanical approaches which may

help reduce the degree of compaction in irrigated soil. This is seen as

important in helping to achieve a more resilient and competitive cotton

farming system and an environmentally sustainable cotton industry.

The March field day saw 24 growers and consultants attend; all were keen to see the

differences in the soil pits between the five treatments. The trials identified the two

most promising rotations for growers, safflower and irrigated wheat. It showed that

the mechanical approach was successful, but only to the depth of ripping (30cm).

Growers and consultants will be able to utilise this information as they develop

practical rotations for their farming systems. A greater understanding of how to

manage compaction will help achieve a more resilient and competitive cotton

farming system and an environmentally sustainable cotton industry.

Soil pits dug as part of the Gwydir Valley area wide management groups at Ashley

and Telleraga in July 2013 indicated that there was compaction on our irrigated

cotton soils. Further pits dug in May 2014 confirm that soil compaction is not an

isolated issue. Generally the cracking clay soils across the Gwydir Valley do repair

themselves when they are able to have a series four or five wet and dry cycles. This

project aims to look at possible remediation techniques which may benefit the soils.

This report builds on the first four stages of the study, Exploring the Relationship Between Community Resilience & Irrigated Agriculture in the MDB,1 to address the following research questions:

• Has the relationship between community resilience and irrigated agriculture changed over time, and if so what have those changes been?

• What are the trends and likely drivers of such change?

• What are the implications for communities (at different scales) of the ongoing influence of those trends and drivers?

• Does historical data support the conclusions reached in Report 4?

In order to answer these questions, we have examined these changes at different scales, including the national, Basin and local levels through quantitative and qualitative methods.

These include:

• An analysis of nationwide trends in agriculture and irrigated agriculture for the period 1966 – 2006;

• A cross sectional statistical analysis of the relationship between agricultural employment and land use across SLAs in the MDB for 1996, 2001 and 2006;

• A cross sectional statistical analysis of the relationship between selected indicators of community wellbeing and resilience with other important exogenous variables and employment mix across SLAs in the MDB for 1996, 2001 and 2006;

• An analysis of basin wide trends in agriculture and irrigated agriculture for the period 1996 – 2006;

• A detailed analysis of changes in eight case study communities relating to changing land use, changing employment and employment mix and selected indicators of community wellbeing and resilience for the period 1996-2006; and

• A comparison of the historical impacts of changing water availability with those impacts predicted in Report 4.

The Australian agricultural statistics system is in a process of evolution, but as yet is still in a far from ideal state. Data for the sector is often incomplete, out of date, and irrelevant or purposeless. There is an urgent need to improve the collection, analysis and timely provision of agricultural statistics by taking innovative, cooperative action to improve the way this information is gathered and distributed. Failure to do so will compound the existing problem of decisions and policy made in the absence of solid evidence.

Data collection is no longer the exclusive domain of Official Statistics Agencies (OSAs) – and indeed these agencies are unlikely to receive the increased resources required to enable them to address these complex data needs as well as meeting their current obligations.

Given the funding limitations, it is fair to say the current agricultural statistics portfolio reflects available OSA resources, rather than the actual needs of the sector. In a time when water management and the impacts of climate change on agriculture are issues of fundamental national importance, this situation is unacceptable. Sound decision-making requires informed understanding, which in turn requires a reinvention of the current Australian agricultural statistics system.

Efforts to improve official statistics in Australia are already underway following recent reviews. The ABS and ABARES have established programs to modernise and streamline operations. An increase in resources would ensure that these work programs maintain momentum, but the OSAs alone cannot reinvent the system.

In order for the sector to leave behind sole reliance on the five-yearly census process and move into a more responsive, accurate and granular system, the agriculture industry has a pivotal role to play in identifying needs and making available existing datasets which could serve those needs. The industry must collectively embrace this role to identify industry problems and opportunities, promote agriculture’s social licence, educate policy-makers on trends and requirements and to also build trust in the distribution and responsible use of data.

This report presents a framework for evaluation of data sources which could augment the existing agricultural statistics system, developed from a desktop study of available literature, and investigation of potential alternative data sources and methods of collection.

I fully appreciate the opportunity I have had to participate in such a Program and

hence I extend my thanks to my sponsors, Cotton Research and Development

Corporation, Auscott and Cotton Seed Distributors. I particularly am grateful that

they continued to support me as I moved away from cotton. The cotton industry

of Australia is fortunate to possess such organisations that see the value in

'grooming' young leaders to tackle rural issues.

My aim is to be involved in the cotton industry in Australia again in the future,

perhaps as part of my 'extra curricular activities', when the right opportunity

presents itself. It would be great to put some of my leadership learnings into

practice at some level within the Australian cotton industry.

In conclusion I want to list six key messages Ito0k away from one session we

had specifically on leadership that I found quite constructive and am aiming to

putinto my everyday thoughts:

I. Plan, Plan, Plan

2. Make sound and timely decisions

3. Understand strengths and weaknesses

4. Lead by example

5. Keep your team informed

6. Consequences are real

Black root rot, caused by Thielaviopsis basicola, is a significant disease threat to cotton, especially in cooler areas and seasons. In just over a decade it has come to affect more than half of the cotton farms in southern Queensland and New South Wales and it is currently found to be present in every surveyed farm. While management strategies based on cultural practices can reduce the severity of the disease and of crop losses, yield can still drop by up to 40% annually and further loss can occur due to increased susceptibility of black root rot- infected plants to other diseases. Thus, there is considerable scope for new disease control methods based on an improved knowledge of the biology of the pathogen and its interactions with cotton. The black root rot fungus occurs as strains that are specific to particular host plants, and must establish a special relationship with living cells of the host root before root rotting can occur. This suggests that there are highly specific biochemical and genetic interactions between the fungus and cotton that are involved in the infection progress. The longer term aim of our multidisciplinary group of researchers is to identify key factors in the molecular interactions between T. basicola and cotton roots, to determine whether such interactions could be exploited in disease management. Identification of host-specific interactions during infection could be used to find components of resistance that will increase the efficiency of breeding varieties with enhanced resistance.

In the seed project completed in June 2007, our group developed methods for investigating the interactions between the fungal pathogen and its cotton host, as well as tools for genetic manipulation of the pathogen and for proteome analyses of both the pathogen and cotton roots. The main outcomes in technique developments were (1) the establishment of a genetic transformation protocol for the production of a large number of fungal mutants and the establishment of a procedure to select those mutants affected only in their pathogenicity towards cotton, (2) the establishment of extraction protocols for the purification of both T. basicola and cotton root proteins, (3) the development of a method to produce two dimensional protein electrophoresis maps for both T. basicola and cotton roots, which resulted in successful production of reference protein maps for both the fungus and cotton roots and (4) the development and optimisation of reliable systems for the study of T. basicola interactions with different host plants, which allowed the comparison of the interactions of cotton with pathogenic versus non-pathogenic strains of T. basicola.

The techniques developed in the seed project will be adopted in current and future research with the aim of identifying factors responsible for changes in pathogenicity, especially those involved in host-specific interactions. In addition, the protein maps (total cell proteins, also called proteome) will be used in order to identify proteins (and thus, genes) involved in the infection process and to find if the disease could be blocked by reducing plant stimulants that enhance the pathogen, or by inducing plant resistance to the disease. The long term objectives of this project were to find out whether there are host-specific triggers to certain stages of the pathogen infection and whether it is feasible to exploit key steps in the infection process for the development of resistance or other control measures, such as soil amendments.

The development of tools in this seed project allow research into the T. basicola-cotton interactions, which could lead to discoveries towards ways of controlling the disease and thus increasing cotton yields, by either breeding cotton towards disease resistance or by producing more effective soil amendments against T. basicola.

An efficient and world standard computing system at ACRI has benefited all research

programs through their use in data processing, storage, statistical analysis, modeling and the development of end-user packages. In addition the network located at ACRI provide printing services and communication which includes e-mail and website. These services have underpinned the quality of research conducted at ACRI and personnel rely heavily on continued and uninterrupted access to computing support to this IT. In instances many initiatives for the cotton industry instigated by researchers and extension officers rely solely on access to the computing support provided by this project. These services are imperative to the proper functioning of ACRI institute and is separate to IT overheads provided by CSIRO and NSW DPI.

This project enabled ACRI to operate its computing services as a whole. Supporting IT in this way is the most efficient and cost effective means for the cotton research effort at ACRI.

This support:

- provides ACRI with cutting edge IT technologies making it a world class research facility for dedicated cotton research.

- goes beyond generic services provided by research institutions based in capital cities

- ensures timely access to IT services at ACRI.

- avoids duplication and fragmentation of IT resources for research activities by different institutions based at ACRI.

- ensures that ACRI has an IT champion in place leveraging significant resources from the CSIRO and NSW DPI.

- enables cotton researchers at ACRI to focus on research alone and not on IT issues.

This project employed Tony Pfeiffer, an experienced Network manager permanently based at ACRI to enhance operation of IT at ACRI. While Tony is employed by CSIRO he is available to all people at ACRI to provide immediate computing assistance. He works closely with CSIRO IT and NSW Department of Primary Industries to coordinate further investment in computing services and infrastructure at the site. With the increase in computing power and staff at ACRI, the need for sustained technical support directly to the user has expanded. The systems manager now supports 63 CSIRO, 49 NSW Ag and 10 others computer users. The computer systems manager also supports the network servers (backup and communication) and phone system at ACRI.

As a result of cessation of funding to ACRI costing to CSIRO, NSW DPI and Cotton CRC was undertaken. In future researchers and other members of ACRI will cost the unique and enhanced computing services provided at ACRI as part of their project budgets.

12 Main recommendations were made in consultation with panel and research institutes around the major future challenges for the cotton industry. These included:

*Drought and reduced research funding

*need to prioritise

*Staff resources

-retirements,capacity retention,succession planning

-winding up of CRC for Tropical Plant Protection

-infrastructure issues

-geographical constraints on research on fusarium wilt