As with the introduction of any new technology, when it occurs rapidly, there is likely to be mixed views from users unless it is self-evident that its advantages out-weigh its disadvantages. The rapid change being experienced by the Australian cotton industry at present with the transition from Ingard to Bollgard U technology is a good example

Biotechnology has been practiced in agriculture for millennia, including through traditional selection for pest resistant crop varieties. Marker assisted selection, where molecular Genetic markers are used to accelerate the breeding process for key traits, is now widely used. Biotechnology is also being use to understand the basic genetic machinery of crops. The entire genome of the small weedy cabbage relative Arabidopsis has been sequenced, a major success which rivals the human genome project in scope and importance, and allows a much deeper understanding of plant function. Modern techniques in genetics and biochemistry have been applied to unravel everything from the effects of introduction practices on the genetic variability of insects and diseases brought from Europe for the biocontrol of weeds, to the characterisation of pesticide resistance mechanisms. The detection and diagnosis of pests and diseases has also been dramatically improved by molecular means, often through antibody systems, similar to home pregnancy test kits, and some can be used in the field. An example was the Lepton test kit to distinguish species of cotton bollworms (Helicoverpa armigera vs H. punctigera)

The Australian Cotton Industry has enjoyed a reputation as a reliable supplier of high quality cotton. This reputation is underpinned by a progressive, effective and responsible industry. A new and emerging challenge to the industry is to maintain its reputation as a quality supplier of cotton. The industry has demonstrated in the past its ability to meet and effectively deal with changes, this has never been more important than today. As Australia continues to produce good quality cottons and meet spinners needs, so now are many other foreign growths. Today spinning mills are demanding and requiring superior fibre characteristics to meet their needs. The specifications are becoming tighter and tighter as it is reflected in the premium and discount schedules for growers. The challenge has been laid down before us, we must continue to raise the quality bar and differentiate Australian cotton from the rest of the world

The aim of this report was to evaluate the economic value of the provision of whitefly management guidelines in the industries response to the southerly movement of this pest.

Final - Evaluating flush sampling for Helicoverpa moths

This document captures our current understanding of the hydrogeology of the catchment and provides a multidimensional spatial analysis of the groundwater monitoring bore standing water level (SWL) data. Based on the findings, recommendations for further research are presented

The hydrogeology of the Gwydir Catchment has been studied extensively in the past 40 years, but there are still many gaps in our understanding of the groundwater systems and river-aquifer interactions. These gaps in our knowledge limit our capacity to manage water resources throughout the catchment. This document captures our current understanding of the hydrogeology of the catchment and provides a multidimensional spatial analysis of the groundwater monitoring bore standing water level (SWL) data. Based on the findings, recommendations for further research are presented.

This CRC Cotton Catchments funded project (1.03.42) identified a number of novel remote sensing applications that have the potential to improve both the economical and environmental sustainability of cotton farming in the future. Such applications included the improved direction of in-season agronomic crop assessments based on varying crop vigour zones, the rapid identification of a range of abiotic and biotic constraints allowing for targeted response, and the development of an image based algorithm for the prediction of total yield and yield variability prior to harvest.

To highlight key areas of Quality Control by both growers and ginners. To identify key quality issues of seed cotton modules both on farm and stored at gin sites. The key areas involved in maintaining module quality from picking to ginning. To identify grower and ginner quality controls

Final Report- Detection of subsurface cracking depth through electrical resistivity anisotropy To date, an understanding of crack dynamics has been hampered by the lack of techniques to observe or monitor crack dynamics below the soil surface.