Cotton fibre quality is attracting more attention as Growers are receiving increased feedback from end users that if Australia is to maintain its position as a world leader in machine picked cotton it must minimise poor fibre properties. High or low micronaire, short fibre, neps and sticky cotton are parameters that mills are becoming concerned about. On-farm agronomy can influence fibre quality in many ways, although picking and ginning will determine the final quality characteristics. Fibre development responds directly to the environment, management and stresses. As a result, correct variety choice for the growing region combined with reduced stress management will optimise fibre quality. Of the manageable stresses, water management is particularly important in determining length, strength and micronaire. Correct defoliation timing is also important in reducing neps. In the future, new fibre measurement instruments are being developed that will supersede some common HVl measurements and help match the spinning characteristics of the cotton more closely to the measured attributes. This will provide improved feedback for growers and ginners and hopefully build a closer link between the enduser and the grower. The development of FIBREpak will hopefully encompass all this information and allow growers to manage for both yield and quality

Electrical resistivity imaging has been validated as a technique that can show the two dimensional movement of water through the soil profile after the application of irrigation water.

Water movement can be inferred in the resistivity section by comparing resistivity images recorded before and after the application of irrigation water. As the water migrates through the soil profile the resistivity decreases (electrical conductivity increases). The movement of the water through the vadose zone has been shown to be via preferential paths, possibly related to cracks or sandier zones within the profile. Time-lapse sequences of deep drainage show that irrigation water reaches depths of 5 to 10 meters within the first few hours after watering.

Electrical images comparing the moisture content throughout the soil profile to 10 metres in October and then in February show that a substantial quantity of water is added to the profile to a depth of 6 metres throughout the growing season. Resistivity images recorded just prior to irrigation show that the roots of the cotton plants have removed significant quantities of water immediately surrounding the roots, but have little influence on the moistures content of the soil profile immediately below the root zone. The drier soil around the root zone shows up as semi-circles of higher resistivity in the resistivity images.

At some locations, after watering there is an increase in the resistivity of the soil profile between 1 to 1.5 metres. This is interpreted as fresher irrigation water flushing out more saline pore water.

Final Report as participant in the 2004 Australian Rural Leadership Program

The results of annual disease surveys continue to indicate the importance of soil-borne plant pathogens. Seedling diseases are controlled by the use of fungicide seed treatments. Current and potential seed treatments are being evaluated in annual field experiments. Verticillium wilt has been effectively controlled by the repeated use of resistant cultivars. Black root rot and Fusarium wilt are widespread and particularly significant. Black root rot is found in all cotton production areas but is more important in the cooler areas. The pathogen has been dispersed by the activities of cotton growers. There is no evidence of host plant resistance to black root rot of cotton and current control options are limited to biofumigation with a green manure crop of vetch, summer flooding and delaying the planting time to avoid cool conditions early in the season. The distribution of Fusarium wilt is continuing to increase. The pathogen appears to have originated from native populations of Fusarium oxysporum and resistance to the pathogen has been found in some native Gossypium spp. Slow but significant progress has been made in breeding cotton cultivars with better resistance to the pathogen. Progress has also been made in understanding some of the mechanisms of resistance. Several control options have been, or are being, evaluated and an integrated disease management strategy for Fusarium wilt is being developed. The strategy currently includes delayed incorporation of residues from the previous crop, bare fallow rotation, delayed planting into moisture, use of a cultivar with a high F.rank and use of rolling cultivators to minimise damage to the roots.

Benchmarking is a process of collecting data to enable comparison. It allows an enterprise to strive for improvement by comparing current performance to appropriate internal or external performance measures.

The CottonInfo Team has embraced online video media to spread the message on best practice cotton production.

This project aimed to fill a gap that existed in developing management strategies in the field that optimised cotton fibre properties.

Final Report abstract - Transformation and gene silencing technologies to control helicoverpa armigera

Project aimed to :Identify new scouting and information collecting tools and decision support systems for the Australian cotton industry that utilise wireless internet technologies and advanced handheld device.Develop new decision support tools and explore means of commercialising these to a wider agribusiness community. Demonstrate real commitment to developing regional solutions using the latest technology and research from the CCC CRC and Telstra.

Contamination, even if it is a single foreign fibre, can lead to the downgrading of yarn, fabric or garments to second quality or even the total rejection of an entire consignment and is thus a very important fibre parameter.The Australian Cotton CRC Mill Survey rated contamination as one of the most favourable fibre properties of Australian cotton. However, there has been concern that incidences of some contaminants are increasing. This was supported by ITMF Contamination Survey findings from 1999 to 2005, which showed an increase in the number of contaminated Australian cotton bales delivered to overseas spinning mills. The major source of contamination identified in these surveys is organic matter such as leaves, feathers, paper and leather followed by string and fabric made from plastic film and from jute and hessianThe objective of this project was to accurately quantify the degree and sources of contaminants found in Australian cotton. CSIRO conducted a survey of ginning companies and gathered samples to determine the type and amount of contamination present in modules. The survey found that the majority of contaminants found in modules were metallic pieces from harvesters, module builders and from transportation of modules to the gins. This was followed by 'other', which included items such as mobile phones, shotgun shells, beer cans, oil cans, two-way radios, etc., followed by module ropes, plastic which included plastic bags, grass and timber, grease and oil which is mainly due to hydraulic oil, followed by fabric which includes rags and cloth followed by tarp which refers to module covers.