Conventional plant breeding has done much to improve cotton's tolerance to pests and diseases. However, fungal diseases such as Verticillium and Fusarium wilts remain important factors minting yield under certain environmental conditions. In particular, the increasing spread of an aggressive strain of Fusarium wilt in cotton-growing areas is causing growers concern. As yet, no genes providing immunity to the vascular wilt diseases have been identified in cotton. Conventional breeding has been used successfully to generate cotton cultivars with good fungal tolerance. However, tilts tolerance can still be improved and we see the use of transgene-derived antifungal proteins for enhanced host plant tolerance as an important adjunct to the development of cultivars by conventional breeding methods. Our goal is to identify genes that confer improved tolerance to wilt diseases and express these genes in transgenic cotton lines.

Commercial cotton crops throughout NSW have been surveyed in November and March of each season since 1983 to determine disease distribution, incidence and severity. Cropping history, field preparation, seed rate, plant stand and the amount of crop residue remaining from the previous cotton crop have been recorded for each field inspected. Between 80 and 100 commercial fields have been inspected in each survey. The results of these surveys provide a basis for prioritising research efforts and give an indication of the impact of farm management practices on disease incidence and severity.

In a broad sense, biocontrol can be defined as the manipulation of a root or soil environment, through non-chemical means, to reduce the activity of pathogens. This broad definition includes the use of resistant cultivars, cultural practices and the introduction of beneficial microorganisms into the root zone. The cotton disease biocontrol program at the Australian Cotton Research Institute focuses on the use of beneficial microorganisms to control cotton diseases. Several naturally occurring bacteria are antagonistic to pathogens. These bacteria are referred to as biocontrol agents. When introduced into the root zone, the biocontrol agents can interfere with the activity of the pathogens.

It hardly needs to be said that the supply of irrigation water is a major issue for the industry and a major hint to production, and that there are economic and environmental dimensions to the debate about water, which is characterised more by rhetoric than fact. For example, we have heard. .... &quote;The cotton industry has a veracious appetite for water&quote; - &quote;You and I know 6Ml/ha is not enough to water a successful cotton crop&quote;. One assertion relates to the industry as a whole and the other to the operation of a farm, so providing a convenient introduction to two questions addressed in this paper. .. How much water does the industry actually use? and How much water does a cotton crop need?

Fungal diseases such as Verticillium Wilt, Fusarium wilt and black root rot cause appreciable losses to the Australian cotton industry, particularly in years when environmental conditions favour disease. Research in our group is focussed on genetic engineering approaches to increase the resistance of cotton to fungal attack

The silverleaf whitefly (SLW) Bemisia tabaci B-biotype is a major problem to cotton growers overseas and is a threat to the cotton industry in Australia. It is currently established in plant nurseries in most states and is a pest of various horticultural crops in the field in North Queensland. The genetically modified INGARD cotton contains a Bt gene which codes for an endotoxin that is active against major lepidopteran pests such as Helicoverpa spp. Bt cotton has been trailed in Australia over the last few years with some positive results (D. Murray pers. comm. ). However, the key to the success of transgenic cotton will be to integrate it with other management strategies, such as crop refuges, in an effort to slow resistance development (Fitt 1996). Pigeon pea is highly preferred by Helicoverpa spp. and is being used as a refuge or trap crop (Walker et al 1998). Lucerne is also being investigated as a refuge or breeding ground for beneficial insects (Mensah & Singleton 1998; Walker et al 1998), such as predators or parasites of Helicoverpa spp. Sowthistle, a common weed in cotton agro ecosystems, may also act as a refuge for beneficial insects or for the pests themselves. Cotton and lucerne are both hosts of the SLW overseas. These and other plants in the cotton agro ecosystem may become important hosts in Australia. This project assessed the suitability of these key hosts to SLW development.

Water use efficiency is a key issue for the Australian cotton industry. For the individual producer the focus is to maximise returns from a limited resource. However, the current debate on allocation of water between domestic, agricultural and environmental sectors, imposes additional significance to water use efficiency at the industry level. We are conducting a project that focuses on crop water use efficiency as a component of whole farm water use efficiency. This will be achieved by (i) identifying the current sources of variation in crop water use efficiency between production units and (ii) quantifying the contribution of rotation and tillage practices to the water use efficiency of irrigated or partially irrigated cotton crops. The aims are three fold

The future of agriculture in Australia depends on the type of people who are in the cotton industry. The future depends on a professional & aggressive approach to the business of farming, prepared for change. Looking to the future with a positive attitude. The political landscape has changed dramatically in the last couple of months so that Rural Australia has been put back on the agenda. The Queensland election has cleared the way, for politicians to respond to the requirements of agriculture and that is an opportunity for cotton farmers to show the way. We must take that Opportunity and get involved.

This paper describes the results of a two season pilot study assessing the utility of Landsat TM satellite data for identifying and mapping land cover in jinxed agricultural regions. In order to effectively understand, model and forecast Helicoverpa population dynamics within a mixed agricultural region it is essential to have information on the spatial and temporal distribution of the various crops and weeds on which the pests develop. Host plants are an essential resource for Helicoverpa moths and their developing eggs, larvae and pupae. The distribution, type and growth stage of cultivated and wild host plants affect the regional population dynamics of Helicoverpa in three major ways

Experiments were done using simulated damage to investigate responses of early season cotton to defoliation, tipping out and fruit removal in a range of combinations and intensities. Pre-squaring cotton was very tolerant of relatively high levels of tip damage, even when combined with other forms of damage such as defoliation of fruit removal. Heavy early fruit loss did not affect yield but caused a delay in maturity of about seven days. The yield of pre-squaring cotton was unaffected by defoliation, even when 100% of true leaves were removed on three occasions. Pre-squaring cotton was tolerant of defoliation levels of up to 80% loss of true leaf area without affecting maturity. The capacity of cotton to recover from early damage has important implications for developing IPM systems.