With the introduction of cotton containing the two Bollgard II® genes (Cry1Ac and CryIIAc), the need for cotton producers to spray their crops with pesticides to control Helicoverpa spp. has been greatly reduced (Fitt, 2000). This has made cotton more suitable to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies that are an ever increasing economically and environmentally sound approach to the control of pests (Fitt et al 2004). IPM strategies have provided the grower with many benefits in terms of costs saved, and to the community in terms of lower levels of insecticide in the environment (Fitt, 2000). Most notably, there has been a marked reduction in pesticide use and a shift to using softer (target-specific) pesticides, as well as a greater interest in the management of beneficial invertebrates such as predators and parasitoids (Hoque et al 2000, Mansfield et al 2006).However the major challenge to the sustainable use of Bt cotton is the risk of Helicoverpa spp. developing resistance to the Cry toxins (Fitt, 2000). Resistance to conventional Bt sprays has evolved in field populations of another moth (Plutella xylostella), Bt resistant strains of H. armigera have been generated in the laboratory, and alleles that confer resistance have been isolated from field populations (Downes et al 2010; Mahon et al 2007; Baker et al 2008). Concerns for Bt resistance are well founded, and much effort is being applied to developing and implementing resistance management strategies.

Domestic, high definition video cameras are capable of recording predatory events in cotton crops in considerable detail. Modifications to the power supply and shielding to protect the cameras from the elements can be made easily and cheaply.The cost per camera and associated hardware is approximately AUS$2,200. Software to support a set of cameras would cost another $1000 dollars although this would depend on the quality of the images needed, the size of the files to be stored and the time available to download events. We assume portable computers and various large capacity hard drives are available. Both are relatively cheap these days.The cameras are likely to get too hot if used in full sun positions (even with a sun shield) during the hottest parts of the day for some regions (ca. 12-00 to 15:00 pm in mid-summer), however for many months and over periods when insects are most active (dawn and dusk) temperatures would be acceptable. The camera houses used in this project would be sufficient for many studies.This project has captured parasitism of a late instar Helicoverpa larvae by a large Ichneumonid wasp. This was captured by leaving the cameras for 3 hours unattended from 6-00 am to 9-00 am in a clover pasture at UNE. This event is an excellent example of the performance of the camera system tested in this project.

The regional extension positions were part of the Cotton CRC National Cotton Extension Team which has worked on an industry-wide scale to take a knowledge management approach to deliver grower focused, participatory adoption and extension programmes. Both NSW Extenion officers became well established during 2007 having initiated and conducted a broad range of extension activities according to well developed regional and national extension plans. Regional priorities and needs were identified, prioritised and incorporated in work plans in collaboration with growers, consultants and other extension officers.The extent of achievement against all objectives has been hampered by the on going severe drought. In addition impacting on the effectiveness of the role has been the uncertainty of the ongoing nature of the positions over the last 12 months. Both extension officers applied a range of extension delivery methods during the time. However, they both experienced considerable difficulty in engaging significant numbers of growers given the dry season which, combined with low prices for cotton and higher grain returns, resulted in significantly reduced cotton plantings in both regions.As previously mentioned there was also reduced trial work due to the smaller areas and associated issues. Growers were less likely to want a 10ha trial when only growing 100ha due to the extra work associated with set up etc. An example of this is the row space trial that could only be run on a corporate farm where there are more resources in place. This trial was significant to the region as it answered a lot of questions and it has been of particular benefit to newer growers in the area. However a lot of growers have their own priorities in terms of trials and therefore they concentrate more on these activities. Whilst there can be opportunities to become involved sometimes there might be commercial partners who would prefer to keep the information confidential in the early years.Essentially most growers pay an agronomic consultant to assist them with growing their crop and therefore due to this growers depend on their consultant for information. This is especially the case for established growers. New growers require more general information and therefore they do tend to rely more on extension services.The most well attended activities were the hands on practical activities held on farm that ran for a short duration eg planting workshop with practical demonstration. In terms of workshops growers once again liked the practical ones where the workshop actually provided them with information pertaining to a decision that might have been pending in terms of their business unit. A great example is the lateral move course that provided growers with reasons for why they should perhaps set one up, and also the issues assisted with the technology.Extension activities in benchmarking regional production information and trends, such as the Macquarie Valley Review of High Yielding Crops, were also well received by growers and consultants in providing valuable resource information for growers to benchmark their performance against.In terms of adoption one of the highlights for this region is the gain's in earliness attributed to field walks and discussions based on crop cut out. This idea is now leading to trials to be conducted into the future that will most likely only benefit growers in the south due to the unique growing conditions of southern NSW.The implementation of industry BMP provides an ideal framework in which to deliver these strategies in collaboration with the Cotton Australia Regional managers. The existing strong partnerships with consultants and agribusiness must be maintained and enhanced.

With an increase in world population and recent global climate changes causing increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather patterns, the reliance on groundwater is and will continue to be increasing. As a result, there has been an increase in research efforts to better understand groundwater processes, in particular how these interact with surface water systems and how groundwater abstraction affects this interaction. The aim of this thesis is to create an understanding of these processes through the use of a generic numerical model of river, aquifer and abstraction bore.A numerical model domain was defined for an aquifer-river system based on the general aquifer geometry and aquifer parameters at Elfin Crossing in Maules Creek. Model parameters such as hydraulic conductivity and gradient, distance of pumping bore from the river, pumping rate and a streambed clogging layer were varied within reasonable bounds for the field site. The aim was to quantify the influence each parameter has in terms of stream depletion and the time for the river water to reach the pumping bore. From these parameters values were selected to create a base case model. In addition realistic upper and lower values of each parameter were combined to make worst and best case scenarios. Then through a sensitivity analysis these scenarios were compared to observe the combined effects of these parameters on the system response and the stream flow depletion.Results of the sensitivity analysis found that the greatest effect was the distance that the abstraction bore was placed from the river followed by the pumping rate, then the hydraulic conductivity and the streambed clogging layer. It was also found that pumping induced by parameters when applied to historical flow data from Maules Creek caused extremely low flow values which could decrease water quality and deny downstream users of valuable irrigation water.

FR

To highlight the importance of maintaining and enhancing riparian and aquatic biodiversity on cotton farms, it is proposed that a field guide entitled Fishes on Cotton Farms be produced for the north-west NSW region. This production complements a guide entitled Birds on Cotton Farms, which provides cotton growers with a better understanding of bird species and their habitat requirements in the farming landscape. The guide also complements the management guidelines outlined in the Australian Cotton Best Management Practice (BMP) manual. Date

In late 2012, there was an identification of reniform nematodes (Rotylenchulus reniformis)

affecting cotton across a number of fields and farms in Theodore in Central Queensland.

Feeding causes damage to the plant resulting in stunting and generally poor plant growth.

Further investigations are continuing to determine the extent and likely severity of this pest in the Australian cotton system. This sampling protocol has been developed so that growers and consultants can contribute samples to these investigations.

Australian irrigated cotton growers are committed to improving their Water Use Efficiency (WUE) for economic, environmental, social and political reasons (Breen et al, 2006). Furrow irrigation is the dominant irrigation system and is used all over Australian by irrigated cotton growers, who are committed to improving their water use efficiency for economic, environmental, social and political reasons. The Australian cotton industry is predominantly irrigated by furrow irrigation with siphons. Increasing the performance of such systems generally requires an intensification of the existing labour requirements while the current labour force is dwindling. Various alternatives have and are being considered but there is a lack of data that exists about comparisons of alternatives to fully optimised furrow irrigated field and even more so a lack of data about the individual potential of each system to perform better. The siphon-less project was developed to address this knowledge gap by using the same methods to measure and the same water use efficiency indices to assess the performance of each alternative system and an adjacent furrow irrigated field. Four systems, located throughout the Border Rivers and Lower Balonne catchments, were assessed over the 2005/06 summer including: Overhead Irrigation (Lateral Move), Bank-less Channel, Bank-less Head Ditch and Pipes Through the Banks. The following water use efficiency indices were calculated: Gross production Water Use Efficiency Index, Application Efficiency and Distribution Uniformity. In addition final infiltration rates, gross margin including development, operational and input costs were generated for each field under investigation. Results have demonstrated that the siphon-less irrigation systems compared reasonably well and in one case exceeded the water use efficiency of the adjacent furrow irrigated field. The development of siphon-less systems is more costly while the operating costs vary between systems. All systems have shown that there is still room for improvement. While furrow irrigation with siphons remains the pre-dominant irrigation method of the Australian cotton industry, efforts towards improving the performance of this system still remains of paramount importance.

REPORTS FROM RESEARCHERS IN THE FIELD SUGGEST THAT WITHOUT GOOD MANAGEMENT OF PEST AND DISEASE HOSTS OVER AUTUMN AND WINTER, IT COULD ONLY BE GOOD LUCK THAT SAVES THE INDUSTRY FROM CROP FAILURES NEXT SEASON.

The over reliance on, and widespread use of, synthetic insecticides has led to resistance, increased concerns about the long term environmental impacts, and public health issues (Smart et al 1994). These issues of cost, efficacy, resistance and environmental impacts have led to the increased implementation of Integrated Pest Management(IPM) strategies. Crop plants including cotton can produce chemicals that can modify the behaviour of insects, particularly pests (Tinsworth 1990). The use of behaviour modifying compounds such as feeding deterrents, oviposition deterrents, attractants, repellents etc. , which can reduce insect feeding or egg lay without killing pests, has intuitive appeal because such compounds can be used in IPM to reduce synthetic insecticide sprays. In addition they are safer to non-target organisms.