Measurement to Improve the Water Efficiency of On-Farm Storages in the Cotton Industry. Final report for Cotton Catchment Communities CRC Project 1.02.17

This microsatellite survey provided information on population structure and movement of H. armigera at both the local and regional levels. The studies primary object was to continue collecting data on the migration and recruitment of H. armigera and to include a description of (i.e. tracking) the movement of resistant and susceptible H. armigera across these regions.

Australian cotton growers have utilised collaborative research, education and extension to aid the development of what is today one of the most innovative rural industries. An independent economic evaluation of some programs of the Australian Cotton CRC investments (March 2004) found a payoff of at least $7 for every dollar invested in research

The Australian cotton industry has benefited greatly from the introduction of the transgenic Bolgard II cotton. Bolgard II expresses the Bt toxins which kill Helicoverpa larvae after feeding and has subsequently reduced the use of chemical insecticides to control insect pests. As resistance to the Bt toxins in Helicoverpa remains a threat, resistance managment plans for Bollgard II have been developed. These measures include, growing refuge crops to breed genetically suscpetible moths, pupae busting using cultivation to disrupt overwintering pupae in the soil and trap crops to retain the offspring of moths selected for Bt resistance.A limitation in evaluating these measures is that there has been no reliable way of determining whether trapped Helicoverpa adults are derived from larvae which were reared on cotton (and therefore exposed to Bt toxin), or on other crops such as pigeonpeas (widely used in refuge and trap crops). To address this shortcoming, we have reared moths on cotton and other host crops and then examined the adult moths for the presence of plant secondary metabolites. The secondary metabolites identified in moths were then correlated with the levels found in the different host plants.Extraction and analysis of n-alkanes in cotton and pigeon peas identified 15 linear alkanes and it was found that the relative abundance of hentriacontane and nonacosane in the plants was significantly different. Furthermore, a series of plant compounds, namely triterpenes and tocopherols were detected that were unique to cotton and pigeon peas. Moths reared on either conventional cotton, pigeon pea and other host crops were then analysed for the presence of these secondary metabolites. Alkane levels in the moths did not reflect the levels found in the plants indicating that the moths may biosynthesise their own alkanes. Tocopherols were identified and quantified in the moths and the levels found were an indicator of the plant on which the larvae fed.A series of other plant products were analysed in the moths and it is expected that using these biomarkers, along with the amount and type of tocopherol present, will allow for the determination of the larval host plant. The successful development of this assay will allow for the quantitative evaluation of resistance management plans by determining the host plant of adult moths.

In 1971 Dr HJ Firth wrote - 'the Murray- Darling system, in addition to being the greatest river Basin in the land, is one of the greatest and most complex problems of resource conservation and management. &quote; If you can't measure it you can't manage it! If you don't know how it functions you can't manage it! If the laws, institutions and governance arrangements act as barriers then you can't manage it! If you don't understand the relationships between the many human and natural resource components of a catchment, then management interventions may have unintended consequences! If people don't know what to do don't care or won't act then change cannot be managed If you reflect on these five statements it is possible to begin to comprehend the inherent risks and opportunities we face in managing our national heritage - the Murray Darling Basin. Perhaps the first being that while we all want a healthy Basin, we can rarely agree on how much data and understanding is required, what the appropriate institutional arrangements might be and what mechanisms and incentives should be employed to motivate individuals to change!

New South Wales water catchments are now having their third attempt at managing our natural resources each having come along with its own set of expectations This tells us that we may have the last chance to get Catchment management results that clearly demonstrate that as farmers we can work with and enhance the environment that we have been given to work with. The likelihood of farmers in particular not being able to input to a future CMA Model if the latest version fails is very real

It is well recognised that Consultants and Agronomists have a key role to play in the dissemination of information generated through research and development. Helping to communicate it effectively to growers and participating in the ultimate implementation of technologies in the field. As our industry slowly recovers from a production down turn due to the drought we are reminded of what a critical resource people represent to our industry and even more so the value of people with knowledge. Thus we can see that in order to progress &quote;Knowledge and Technology&quote; it is essential 10 ensure that we have positive and effective communication between growers, consultants and industry as well as having a plan 10 sustain our people resource into the future.

The Australian cotton industry is now heavily reliant on genetically engineered Bt cotton for the control of Helicoverpa spp. and other moth pests. The introduction of this technology has been associated with a reduction in insecticide use of around 80%. The lifestyle improvements and the reduced environmental impacts of pesticides have considerably benefited growers and the community. The industry's social license to operate depends on maintaining these environmental and community credits. In turn, this depends on maintaining the effectiveness of Bt, in particular by avoiding resistance in Helicoverpa spp.The industry has a rigorous and widely adopted resistance management strategy, in which the planting of refuges (crops that breed unselected insects) is a key component. It is important that refuge efficiency is maximized. We need refuges which produce the highest numbers of susceptible moths relative to potentially resistant ones emerging from Bt cotton, and produce them when and where they are required. This project focused on the possibility of improving the effectiveness of refuges, or reducing the number of moths emerging from Bt cotton, by chemical modification of insect behaviour. The development by researchers in this project of the novel moth attractant Magnet® means that we now have the capacity to move Helicoverpa populations around on a diverse landscape of Bt cotton and refuge crops, over large distances. This project aimed to translate that capacity into more effective refuge management, to enable reductions in areas required for refuges, or more robust resistance management strategies, or both. It aimed to explore new approaches with an existing product (Magnet®), and develop new products specifically to enhance refuges.In this project we have demonstrated that carefully timed and placed applications of Magnet® in summer can reduce oviposition on Bt cotton, leading to fewer surviving larvae and this a reduced population of potentially resistant moths. We have also demonstrated that concerns expressed by some researchers that in some circumstances Magnet® might disproportionately attract moths from refuges, or increase oviposition leading to potentially increased selection pressure, are unlikely to be realised. We have shown that application of Magnet® to spring wheat can attract and kill H. armigera moths, which may allow the use of the product in remediation of cotton fields which have not been adequately cultivated to destroy overwintering pupae, as required by resistance management plans. We have also developed the concept of moth busting in late season cotton to directly target potentially resistant moths, and this has been further explored through a one-year preliminary project (reported separately) which studied the technique at the farm scale.Clarification of the potential for using Magnet® or similar products for resistance management will depend on the development of a method of identifying the host origin of moths killed by the product, or collected from the general population using various trapping methods. We have therefore initiated studies to investigate the potential of biochemical markers, especially cuticular alkanes, to provide this information. This work requires specialised expertise in organic chemistry, and has therefore been continued in another project. Results from the project are made available to the Transgenic & Insecticide Management Strategies Committee (TIMS) of Cotton Australia, and the industry&#39s scientific forum for resistance management, REFCOM. The project will contribute to improved resistance management for transgenic Bt cotton, but further field testing on area-wide scales over the next three years will be necessary to generate the robust data to support such changes.

In Australian agro-ecosystems pest dynamics are changing, synthetic insecticides production are declining and there is evidence of increasing pest resistance or tolerance to transgenic plants. Thus, a total collapse of agricultural industries in Australia is possible if pest control alternatives such as biopesticides, semiochemicals etc are not produced and made available to farmers to manage pests. Subsequently, the development of biopesticides and semiochemicals to support integrated pest management (IPM) in cotton, grains, pulses and horticultural crops is crucial. But the development of biopesticides and semiochemicals per se will be ineffective unless these products are registered and available in Australia. Hence, the need to develop a commercialization platform to facilitate generation of toxicological and environmental data and to assist commercial partners in registation of these products . The proposed Centre for Biopesticides and Semiochemicals (CBS) aims to fulfil both of these roles.The Centre will function as an integrated network of highly recognized scientists from research provider organizations and universities. The research provider organizations are (1) NSW Dept of Primary Industries; University of Western Sydney (UWS); Centre for Phytochemistry & Pharmacology - Southern Cross University (CPP-SCU); University of New England (UNE); and Cotton Research & Development Corporation (CRDC).Overall the CBS will research and develop biopesticide and semiochemical products for pest management, and, in collaboration with industry partners, make these available to farmers . The development of biopesticide and semiochemical products will support the further development of IPM in cotton, grains, pulses and horticultural crops. The development of biopesticides and semiochemicals per se will be ineffective unless these products are registered and available in Australia. Hence, the CBS will develop a commercialization platform to facilitate generation of toxicological and environmental data and to assist commercial partners in registration of these products in the cotton and other agricultural industries. These biological products will provide economic, environmental and social benefits to agricultural industries.

Enter a modem market place; or visit a bustling shopping mall and the fruits and rewards of modem agriculture will greet you at every turn. A myriad of shops supply reliable and plentiful quantities of high quality food and fibre while others provide the trademark goods and services of a sophisticated, modern society. Most people in modern communities unlike their ancient forebears procure their food and fibre from shops and supermarkets enjoying the efforts of those who through the millennia of time have taken opportunities to select, breed and nurture new plant and livestock types. These opportunities are the fundamental building blocks of modern agriculture