Field work was conducted over the 1988/89 and 1989/90 cotton growing seasons in the Central Highlands of Queensland. Pheromone dispensers, specially formulated for P. Scutigera were obtained from Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Ltd, Japan. In 1989/90 the P. gossypiella pheromone formulation was trialled, and in 1988/89 a microencapsulated formulation produced by Allied Colloids (Australia Pty Ltd) was also trialled. Experiments were generally conducted in large fields (2.7 - 18.3 ha) and dispensers applied at a rate of 1,000/ha (78 mg (AI) (Z, Z) - and (Z, E)- isomers of 7,11 hexadecadienyl acetate mixed in a 9:1 ratio). Effects of treatments were assayed using pheromone traps (both years), regular fruit samples (usually 100 per time, both years), mating table trials (year 2) and dissection of females caught in light traps, (to determine mated status, year 2).

Techniques for the examination ad assessment of the physical condition of a soil in the field have been available for some time – Peerlkamp1967, Strutt 1970, and MAFF 1973. Reports showing the benefits of deep cultivation to break up compact subsoil go back as far as 1852 (Johnston) with more recent research by Russell 1956 and Swain 1973. A Review of soil compaction was published by Soane (1983). The techniques of soil examination are similar whatever the soil and whatever the crop: careful and systematic dissection of a soil face to reveal both natural and man-made features which can be classified in absolute or relative terms.

Land degradation has been identifies as one of the most critical environmental issues in Australia. The examination and evaluation of soils in the field has a vital role to play in the characterisation of degradation and in its prevention and control. Because sound knowledge of many sciences is involved when assessing the whole of the soil environment – physics, chemistry, microbiology, plant physiology, mineralogy, geology and soil mechanics – comprehensive examination of the soil is mainly the province of those with a qualification in soil science. However, other disciplines as well as farmers and farm staff can be trained to deal with particular aspects, for example tillage needs and effects, provided that specialist back up is available when required.

CRDC details the Australian cotton industry’s quest for sustainable competitive advantage in a new five-year strategic R&D Plan for 2008-2013

The initial phase of the project was devoted to the selection and testing of analytical techniques for assessing total nitrogen and leaching losses, and gaseous losses of nitrogen by ammonia volatilization and denitrification following the application of urea to cotton. Total nitrogen loss was measured in microplots by determining the amounts of labelled fertilizer nitrogen recovered in plants and soil, and subtracting this from the amount originally applied. Ammonia loss was determined directly by a micrometerological technique which determines the ammonia concentration gradient in the air above the cotton crop. Denitrification loss was calculated by subtracting the measured ammonia loss from the total nitrogen loss. The movement of 15N down the soil profile gave an indication of the importance of leaching loss.

Soil compaction in the cotton industry has been identified as a major limitation to crop growth. This led to the establishment of several CRDC funded research projects dealing with the management of soil compaction. However, it has proved difficult to diagnose this problem in the field. In mid-1987 the Macquarie Valley Soil Management Service was set up to aid growers with their soil management decisions; they found that in about 30% of cases, it was difficult to make recommendations about the degree of soil compaction. A majority of this uncertainty was due to poorly defined techniques for assessing soil condition. The aim of this project was to evaluate, and where necessary refine, the techniques currently available for soil structural assessment in the field. The techniques for the assessment package, where possible, have to be rapid and repeatable, with low degrees of operator subjectivity. They will help farm agronomists, consultants and extension personnel to make better soil management decisions, and monitor the changes in structural condition from year to year. The package will be incorporated into the SOLpak manual.

The purpose of this CRC funded project was to provide scientific assistance to the Queensland Cotton (QC) commercial trial program in the Burdekin region.

To achieve a greater understanding of the regulation of cotton fibre differentiation, more fundamental information is needed on the signals and mechanisms associated with fibre initiation. The extensive genetic knowledge of Arabidopsis leaf trichomes could aid in the elucidation of the genetic mechanisms controlling cotton fibre differentiation. Trichomes are small hairs on the plant surface, originating from single epidermal cells in a developmental process that appears very similar to that of cotton fibres. Arabidopsis trichome development has been extensively investigated, and several genes that control the process have been characterised. One gene essential for trichome initiation is TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1 (TTG1), and loss-of-function mutations in TTG1 result in an almost complete absence of leaf trichomes. TTG1 plays additional roles in numerous pathways in Arabidopsis, including root hair initiation, anthocyanin production and seed coat mucilage production. In order to isolate genes required for fibre initiation in cotton, functional homologues of Arabidopsis TTG1 in cotton have been sought.

Four putative homologues of Arabidopsis TTG1 have previously been isolated in this laboratory by RT-PCR of mRNA prepared from cotton fibres, and are termed GhTTG1-4. Sequence comparisons between the four cotton deduced proteins and Arabidopsis TTG1 showed that they form two groups, with GhTTG1 and GhTTG3 being closely related to each other (87% identical and 93% similar) and to TTG1 (79% and 80% amino acid identity respectively). GhTTG2 and GhTTG4 formed the second group, with 95% amino acid identity to each other and lower (approximately 62%) identity to TTG1. An analysis of the genomic originis of the GhTTG genes demonstrated that each is derived from the same ancestral diploid genome.

The availability of accurate and continuous weather and climate data is essential for strategic research, operation of decision support systems (eg. CottonLOGIC, OZCOT crop simulation model) and numerous operational aspects of cotton agronomy and management. In addition historical climate data is being used by researchers to assess the potential of cotton growth in new regions and to analyse the performance of crops in current seasons in the context of the whole climatic record. Increasingly consultants and growers are using this information for making informed management decisions.

At the start of this project the industry supports the maintenance of 14 stations spread throughout the cotton growing regions. These stations require regular maintenance and annual calibration. The information collected from these stations is made available via the Cotton CRC’s web site. After numerous problems installing the network they were operating at an acceptable level. However, the stations are now over 9 years and components are failing more frequently and the stations show visible signs of degradation from the weather.

A brief outline of the major results and outcomes form this project is given below.

1. Provision of weather information through the existing cotton industry weather station network.

These weather stations are now over nine years old. Of the initial 14 only five remain functioning. The parts from the stations removed from the field are being used to maintain these functioning stations. Three are being used for experiments while two remain in the field (Merah North and Breeza). More reliable and continuos data is now available through the SILO Internet site.

During this time as part of this project we also installed a new weather station at ACRI.

2. Provision of historical climate patched point data sets to the Australian Cotton Research Institute for research purposes.

ACRI and Cotton CRC researchers now have reliable and easy access to up to date weather information and historical data for research purposes. Researchers access this data through an internal website from a data server located at ACRI. On a daily basis the SILO web services updates the server with the latest numerical weather measurements recoded. This service has enabled any project utilising this data to run more effectively. No longer is there a significant cost in time and dollars to obtain this data.

3. Collaboration with partners of the SILO project to develop weather and climate tools specific to the cotton industry.

In gaining reliable and easy access to continuous climate datasets has enable a number initiatives where tools for research and decision support to be developed in collaboration with the SILO team. Currently all tools developed are available free to members of the Australian cotton industry. The tools developed and initiatives undertaken during this project are as follows:

SILO/Cotton CRC day degree calculator - allows user to enter a starting date and finishing date to calculate the day degrees.

SILO/Cotton CRC day degree target calculator - This decision tool is similar to the day degree calculator described above only that it differs in enabling the users to specify a target day degree.

Early season diagnosis tool - The early season diagnosis (ESD) tool was developed for the Cotton CRC’s website to assist with the agronomic management of cotton crops. The ESD has been linked to the SILO day degree calculator, and allows the users to enter the sowing date and the dates on which the measurements were taken.

HydroLOGIC - Fundamental to the effective use of the HydroLOGIC software released to the cotton industry in September 2003 is gaining access to daily weather data. The SILO initiative was able to contribute to the development of HydroLOGIC by providing access to Historical patched point datasets for major cotton growing regions and developing computing routines were developed to enable HydroLOGIC to directly access SILO’s patched point datasets from the Internet.

Final report- IPM in Bollgard II: coping with changes in pests and climate