Project CRC109 was a separately funded project with aims to examine the whole ginning process critically and focus on identifying new technology and systems in gin pre-cleaning, ginning itself, lint cleaning and/or baling appropriate for Australian cotton. To this end CRC109 has been an information gathering project partly extending on the knowledge gained through the CRDC project CTFT9 but also initiating new understanding of other areas in the gin. The outcome of CRC109 is represented in the second of the new CRDC and CCC CRC ginning projects, which has the objective of measuring fibre moisture accurately in the gin and providing a feedback system to driers and/or humidifiers in order to modulate moisture in the fibre.

PICSE Program: The Mission of the Primary Industry Centre for Science Education or PICSE is to: &quote;Increase participation in science professions that support primary industries&quote; The program aims to attract an increased supply of high quality young people into science based primary industries through engagement with them during school years and early university. The Core Activities of the PICSE program are: Science Class Engagement including the Science Investigation Awards (SIA), Industry Placement Scholarships (Camps and Industry Placement, IPS), Teacher Professional Development (PD) and creating teacher resources.

This project has delivered on two key areas. The first, providing a regional extension focus delivering cutting edge, emerging research information, extension support and information on major production issues and the promotion and adoption of best practice to growers, consultants and industry service providers. The second key area of delivery, focuses delivering national outcomes in the target lead area of soil health and crop nutrition in cotton production systems.This project has established strong linkages and collaborations between growers, consultants, researchers, servicer providers and industry representatives and government allowing the unhindered flow of information between all key stakeholders. This has successfully delivered information and support on issues including, but not restricted to, crop nutrition, soil health, mealybug, Cotton Bunchy Top, IPM, fusarium, , compaction, waterlogging and government support programs. The project supported the development, implementation and adoption of national programs particularly the industry Best Management Practice program, myBMP. It o provided input into industry information products and tools including the Cotton Pest Management Guide, Australian Cotton Production Manual and Symptoms Guide. 19 of 19Having a national focus on Soil Health and Crop Nutrition, the project promoted importance and increased the awareness of soil health and crop nutrition as a critical management component in cotton production. The re-established soil health and crop nutrition working group, nitrogen management and nitrogen use efficiency, the promotion of soil and tissue testing, P, K and S research, carbon in cotton systems and the use of Nutrilogic as a critical management tools were all part of the industry wide program supporting and assisting growers in achieving a sustainable viable cotton industry.The success of this project has played its role in overall success of the Cotton Development and Delivery Team supporting the Cotton Industry during a very difficult period for the industry as a whole.

The effects of rotation crops and stubble management on soil quality, carbon sequestration, deep drainage, nutrient leaching, yield and profitability of succeeding cotton in irrigated and dryland Vertosols was studied from 2005 to 2008 in seven irrigated experiments (near Ashley via Moree, Narrabri and ACRI in NSW and Goondiwindi in Queensland), and one dryland experiment in Queensland (Brigalow in the Darling Downs). Key management issues considered were tillage systems, rotation crops and stubble management, sowing cotton into standing wheat and vetch stubble, in particular.

The aim of this project was to test the use of simple on-farm water quality test kits. The approach was divided in two phases, firstly to develop a kit with potential for simple and practical use on an irrigation property. The second aim was to review the eagerness of the test group to adopt the technology.

The cotton industry Development and Delivery (D&D) Team will have a significant presence on the ground at the Australian Cotton Trade Show on May 29 and 30 in Moree. The team will also be coordinating the Industry Forums at the event.

Accurate identification is important for the management of all weed species for a range of different reasons including the selection of effective herbicides and implementing timely management before seed set so that problems are not increased in future years' The species known as bladder ketmia (Hibiscus trionum) is extremely variable in Australia with at least three weedy types occurring. This study assessed the variation within and between these types in a range of field and glasshouse studies.

High adoption rates of genetically modified, insecticidal Bt cotton lead to regional changes inpest management practice with potential consequences for populations of the mainlepidopteran pest, Helicoverpa spp., and natural enemies in Bt cotton and neighbouring crops.To test the hypothesis that Bt cotton functions as a sink and other crops as potential sourcesfor Helicoverpa spp., we determined Helicoverpa spp. egg densities in 24 Bt cotton fields inthree landscapes in the Darling Downs, QLD, Australia. Egg densities peaked in January2010, when cotton started flowering, and decreased afterwards, except in one landscape,where a second peak was observed at the end of February. In this landscape, rainfall allowedplanting of large areas of sorghum early in the season. Consequently, the late season peak islikely to be a result of third generation moths recruited from sorghum. In the two otherlandscapes, non-cotton crops were planted later in the season or not at all. While H.punctigera dominated the samples early in the season, H. armigera was most frequent inJanuary, but H. punctigera populations increased again towards the end of the season. To testthe hypothesis that natural enemies of Helicoverpa spp. eggs remain unaffected by Bt cotton,we followed parasitization rates of field collected and sentinel Helicoverpa spp. eggs andpredation rates of sentinel eggs. Egg parasitoids were not found before January, but 40-80%of the field collected eggs were parasitized thereafter. Parasitoids were clearly dominated byTrichogrammatidae. From our samples, there was no indication that Bt cotton affected eggparasitoids or predators. The project is continuing in the field season 2010/11 with Australianfunding from Cotton CRC and GRDC. Data will be collected in a similar way and moredetailed analyses will be conducted with the complete data set.

The project aimed to develop an analysis framework to quantify groundwater / surface water interactions, and identify and quantify the factors which influence groundwater / surface water interaction.

There are many critical issues facing the cotton industry, ranging from drought and water supply; yield and profitability; fibre quality and export price; nutrition; sustainability-catchment management, and BMP implementation. To assist these issues this project sought to investigate linkages between research, future decision support, and BMP. Sandra Deutscher, a specialist in providing linkages between research and extension worked with key industry working groups scoping opportunities and identify future investment that will facilitate possible linkages. Additionally CSIRO's cotton Decision Support group based in Narrabri was discontinued because of an increased industry focus on BMP and lack of funding as a result of the drought. The DSS group ceased on 30 June 2007. This new project provided funding for one software developer to maintain the CSIRO/Cotton CRC web decision support tools while a new strategy for decision support is developed that may compliment BMP implementation and uptake. This project also provided important technical supervision needed to continue the CRC/Telstra project &#39New generation scouting tools&#39./