Polymeria take-all is a native Australian plant which is particularly troublesome throughout the Australian cotton industry because it is difficult to control. For example, shallow chipping once per month for four months increased the dry weight production of Polymeria take-all shoots but not cotton production. Again, single applications of glyphosate and Starane, while decreasing the shoot growth of Polymeria take-all, did not increase cotton yields. In contrast, repeated severe defoliation performed under non-irrigated conditions reduced the growth of shoots and rhizomes of Polymeria take-all in an uncultivated area trial. These results have been used to help develop best management practices for Polymeria take all control which will include prevention, herbicide application, cultivation and field hygiene

Soil fertility is the most important soil quality indicator that needs to be measured and monitored. Through human history, decline in soil quality in general, and fertility in particular (due to neglect) had led to the demise of Great Empires. Recently, soil quality and its importance has received extensive attention due to environmental concerns. Soil quality has now formed the basis for the development of sustainable agriculture, and indeed it could be used for evaluating and judging the sustainability of soil management practices and land use systems (Wang and Gong, 1998). Soil fertility can be defined as the capacity of the soil to supply nutrients and provide other physical and chemical conditions for optimal crop growth. Soil fertility, therefore, is a subset of soil quality, which defines the overall fertility and the soils capacity to sustain crop production, provide good conditions for soil organisms, imbibes and ameliorate environmental pollution and resist degradation (Larson and Pierce, 1994). The focus of tints paper is on the analysis of chemical fertility and its versatility and distribution patterns in the lower Namoi Valley. In doing so, we emphasize the basic soil(chemical) fertility and its generality and are not specific to any particular crop. The principle is, however, relevant to the dominant crops grown in the area, namely: cotton, wheat and sorghum.

The use of natural (non-synthetic) chemicals to influence insect behaviour is likely to be well known, in one way or another. Those troubled by mosquitoes are likely to have tested the hypothesis that citronella oil-based candles are repellent to mosquitoes, with varying degrees of success. Those who have tried to control fruit-flies may well have tried protein bait traps whose "scent" lures flies to a pesticide-containing solution, and so to their deaths; the attractant, to which both males and females respond, is a complex mixture of chemicals derived from the breakdown of the protein - commonly brewers yeast. Another "natural" fruit fly attractant is a single chemical, methyl eugenol, a component of many flower fragrances. Only the males of many fruit fly species find it attractive, and it is used in monitoring and control programs

In the Australian cotton industry nutrition is a significant cost with 75% of irrigated cotton respondents to the 2012-13 grower practice survey spending between $300 and $600 per hectare on nutritional inputs for their 2012-13 cotton crop (Anon, 2013). Within nutrition expenditure nitrogen (N) is the most significant input however, nitrogenous fertiliser use has increased to the point where significantly more is being applied in commercial crops than is recommended as part of industry best practice. This additional N is a significant additional cost to growers that can equate to many thousands of dollars spent that does not always result in lint yield increases. The Regional Development Officers (RDO) initiated N trials as a means of gaining an understanding of how N fertiliser management influences Nitrogen Fertiliser Use Efficiency (NFUE) as a simple tool to review crop performance.

What are the potential Benefits Growers are Looking for when planting Cotton into Wheat StubbleΓ Since the introduction of effective knock-down herbicides, farmers all over the world have tried to use zero-tillage practices to achieve better water infiltration, to improve soil structure as well as to reduce the risk of soil erosion through wind or water run-off and pesticide movement off field. Zero-till practices have been well accepted in dryland situations in Australia for quite a while. Dryland growers have been able to increase their yield potential by reducing run off and storing more water in their soils prior to planting as well as daring the growing season. Could similar technology be used in furrow irrigated cotton fields in AustraliaΓ Do the potential benefits outweigh the potential problems like more difficult weed control, stubble handling and plant establishmentΓ Are zero-till systems practical or are they too difficult to handle in a commercial production systemΓ Should we concentrate on the simple and effective systems rather than trying to solve our problems using too sophisticated and complicated systemsΓ

Research has shown that well-managed, good condition river red gum ecosystems on cotton farms provide important habitat for threatened and declining woodland birds. Riparian areas provide biodiverse, structurally complex, well-connected habitat and are therefore home to species that are not found elsewhere on the floodplain.

An Investigation on where, when and how riparian vegetation regeneration occurs across the northern Murray-Darling Basin. Examining spatial patterns in plant dispersal, germination, seedling establishment and reproduction at sites across the MacIntyre/ Weir Rivers, the Balonne River and its tributaries, and the Barwon-Darling. Our research aims to identify which factors are important in driving these patterns including hydrology, tree canopy cover, ground cover, grazing etc.

This research studies the rate of recovery of a depleted aquifer under variable climatic conditions. Fundamentally, it is aimed at quantifying the relative importance of stream recharge via stream channels and diffuse recharge over the land surface and to identify the governing processes and suitable conditions for recharge.

The susceptibility to Bt toxins in Australian field populations of Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa punctigera has been monitored at the Australian Cotton Research Institute since 1993 (Forrester and Bird 1996). This paper reviews the methods and results for the Bt resistance monitoring survey for the 1999/2000 cotton-season and compares them with data from previous seasons. No changes in susceptibility to discriminating doses of Dipel or MVP2 have been recorded in any of the Australian field populations of H. armigera or H. punctigera collected from cotton to date. Significant reductions in susceptibility to Dipel or MVP2 were recorded in field populations of H. armigera collected from sweet corn crops in coastal Victoria