Green mirid, Creontiades dilutus is an important pest of cotton. There is an ongoing

debate as to whether mirids that occur in cotton are derived from locally occurring

populations or whether they arrive in cotton after a long distance migration. Nancy

Schellhorn has data which shows that mirid juveniles occur on a range of native

Chenopods that occur in a continuous north-south distribution extending from coastal

regions to the interior. The question is therefore whether mirids form a contiguous

panmictic population across this resource or whether populations follow a

metapopulation structure. Microsatellites are the tool of choice for teasing apart this

structure and to determine effective population size. De Barro (Molecular Ecology, in

press) has used microsatellites to unravel the geographic structure of Bemisia tabaci in

Asia and Australia and Schellhorn, De Barro, Buckley (CSE/UQ), Riginos (UQ) are about

to undertake a joint PhD project aimed at using microsatellites to investigate questions of

scale and landscape structure in regards to the silverleaf whitefly. By collecting mirids at

different geographic locations; from a range of different plant host species and at

different times in the year it will be possible to tease apart the structure of mirid

populations. The patterns uncovered will enable the relative contributions of distance

and host to population structure and the source of mirids infesting cotton to be

determined.

CRDC research partner, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (QDAF), commissioned an impact assessment of the CRDC-supported project 'Strengthening the Central Highlands Cotton Production System' in 2017.

The research, which examined how to help Queensland’s Central Highlands cotton growers overcome climate challenges, identified that a key tactic may be for growers to plant considerably earlier than the traditional planting window in an effort to pull the boll-filling period forward into spring and early summer when weather conditions are at their most reliable. The research was put to the commercial test in 2016-17, with great success and as a result, it is anticipated that some 80 per cent of growers in the Central Highlands region will utilise the early-planting research outcomes to plant in August for the 2017-18 season.

The impact analysis of the research found that the total investment into the project was $1.18 million, and the value of total economic benefits back to growers and the industry was $20.24 million – a benefit-cost ratio of approximately 17.1 to 1.

The funding for project CA1804 was the underwriting of the 2018 Australian Cotton Conference. The purpose of the biannual conference is to provide a platform for sharing the increasing industry knowledge relating to research and development.

The Australian Cotton Conference is a platform that fulfils many functions for industry and our aims in 2018 were to:

a) Increase industry knowledge relating to R&D and extension activities and how to implement those activities at a local level.

b) Provide a platform to share information, discuss and debate issues confronting the Australian cotton industry (and agriculture in general). Those included cotton and agriculture’s place on a global and local level; competition (synthetics); branding and promotion of Australian cotton; on-farm issues (and research areas relating to the same) with an overall theme of pushing boundaries with a key segment of digital technology. The program also included specific non-cotton presenters that aimed at providing personal development opportunities to all delegates.

(c) Provide an opportunity for all sectors of industry to come together to foster and grow a culture for learning and innovation. Conference provided an opportunity for connectivity and a vision for the long-term sustainability of our industry.

(d) Provide an overall “health” and wellbeing check to industry by way of the health check stand where delegates were invited to undertake some basic health checks (blood pressure, cholesterol, healthy lifestyle analysis and skin checks; presentations about health (particularly focussing on mental health). Heart of Australia also provided comprehensive heart health checks.

Delegates were provided with boundless opportunities to share information, discuss and debate issues confronting the Australian cotton industry (and agriculture in general); cotton and agriculture’s place on a global and local level; competition (synthetics); branding and promotion of Australian cotton; on-farm issues (and research areas relating to the same). The program also included specific non-cotton presenters that aimed at providing personal development opportunities to all delegates. Preventative health staff from New England HealthWISE, Heart of Australia, Australian Hearing and UNE medical students provided health checks over 2 1⁄2 days of Conference, with 173 health checks completed.

2460 delegates 1825 male

635 female

General Delegates 898 Grower Delegates 667 Exhibitor Delegates 550 Student/U22 Delegates 25

The 2018 Australian Cotton Conference provided a platform to showcase the Australian cotton industry and enhance the outputs from CRDC funded R&D and extension activities to the industry at large.

The conference provides for the largest gathering of industry participants in any calendar year and delegates were presented with information in various formats during the conference program that demonstrated and extends improvements in outcomes for the industry.

Industry was challenged to share information, discuss, debate and respond to and adopt findings of research and projects around maximising individual and industry profitability and sustainability through the adoption of home-grown R&D.

The Australian cotton industry depends heavily on genetically engineered Bt cotton (currently in the form of Bollgard II®) which provides resistance to the key pests of cotton, larvae of the moths Helicoverpa armigera and H. punctigera. Bt cotton has enabled substantial reductions in the use of insecticides, provided greater flexibility on cotton farming systems, and made the crop easier to grow. However, as with most pest management tactics, there is potential for the pests to develop resistance, and to counter this the Australian cotton industry has developed comprehensive Resistance Management Plans (RMPs), observance of which is mandatory for growers of Bt cotton.

A traditional component of RMPs, dating from resistance management of conventional insecticides, is pupae busting, or cultivation of the soil to destroy overwintering (and potentially resistant) pupae. However, pupae busting incurs financial, agronomic and environmental costs. It restricts the implementation of minimum tillage techniques which can help prevent erosion, conserve soil moisture and enhance soil carbon. Moreover, we have demonstrated through modelling studies in this project that in modern Bt cotton systems, with high fruit retention and early maturation, many potentially resistant insects are emerging before overwintering diapause is initiated, and are thus not vulnerable to pupae busting. There is a need to develop tactics for RMPs that can fill this gap.

One potential tactic is to target moths instead of pupae, using the attract-and-kill technology Magnet® which was developed by the researchers in this project during early work in successive Cotton CRCs. Magnet® consists of a mixture of plant volatile compounds which, when combined with small quantities of insecticide, can attract and kill adult Helicoverpa spp. moths. It has impacts beyond the area in which it is applied, but with careful placement it might be able to kill proportionately more potentially resistant moths from cotton than susceptible moths from refuge crops and other sources, thereby enhancing the genetic dilution effect provided by refuge crops which are another component of RMPs. A farm scale trial conducted during this project indicated the feasibility of this approach, and helped develop techniques to be used in a larger, area-wide trial of the approach to be conducted over the next three years. If successful, this trial could lead to the development of more robust RMPs, and the reduction of elimination of the requirement for pupae busting.

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.