Over the last six or seven years, seasonal forecasts provided by the Bureau of Meteorology's National Climate Centre have been based on statistical relationships between rainfall and the EI Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. The Southern Oscillation Index (Sol), a measure of the atmospheric pressure differences between Darwin and Tahiti, has been used extensively as an indicator of ENSO events. Significant correlations with the Sol, however, are limited to certain seasons and locations only, and strong relationships are often only found once an ENSO event is well developed. In particular, correlations over the period from late spring to early autumn in the cotton growing areas of eastern Australia are generally quite poor. Forecasts have also been restricted to 3 month seasonal average values commencing immediately from the time of issue. Some improvements in statistical techniques using trend and phase information has extended the use of Sol based forecasts to provide coverage for most of the year round, and useful assessments of overall conditions are provided, but for cotton growing areas the skill has not increased to the point of bulletproof reliability. What then can be expected in the future?

The Queensland Department of Primary Industries is currently investigating IRM techniques for heliothis in cotton and some vegetable crops. The research includes evaluation of native egg parasitoids as biological control agents of heliothis. In 1994 a strain of Trichogramma pretiosum was obtained from heliothis eggs on sunflowers at Kununurra (Western Australia). The results of initial field testing of this species of wasp as an in inundative bio control agent are provided below.

Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to firstly define what is meant by an integrated pest management (IPM) program. Basically an IPM program should - I. Provide effective control of the pest complex. 2. Reduce reliance on synthetic insecticides. 3. Be economically viable. 4. Be simple and flexible. 5. Utilise compatible control measures. 6. Be sustainable. 7. Have minimal harmful impact on the environment, the producer and consumer. Agriculture continues to change in response to the needs of society (Dent, 1995). The development of IPM is often explained as a response to problems facing farmers that result from overuse of insecticides, such as pesticide resistance and secondary pest outbreaks. However, increasingly the development of IPM reflects the expectation of society for pest management systems that do not degrade the environment or cause health problems. The primary aim therefore of an IPM system is to reduce reliance on synthetic insecticides

The cotton industry in Australia continues to be Tenant on insecticide and fertiliser inputs to maintain yields. Over the past decade the off farm movement of these pollutants in runoff water has created a number of environmental issues of concern for the industry (Edge; 1996). In particular, pesticide can be transported off farm in solution or attached to suspended sediment, which are a major factor in pesticide contamination of rivers particularly as storm runoff (Schoefield et al1998). As part of a major R&D program undertaken by the cotton industry, the transport mechanisms and fate of cotton pesticides and nutrients were investigated to address the contamination issue. Key findings from the work identified the high-risk period as early season and highlighted the importance of storms and sediment in moving pesticides off-site and the importance of ground cover in reducing movernent (Simpson et al 1996 and Silburn et al 1996). At the completion of the program, the cotton industry had a much better understanding of the process of pollutant movement from farm to river. However, few proven practical techniques were available to growers to reduce the risk of off-site movement of pollutants in runoff.

In the following paper some of the results of this research (US05C) are shown. In addition, some of the future work (US22C) that is planned including the construction of a vehicle that is capable of carrying several EM instruments and a GPS is briefly outlined. The need for developing such a rig is that researchers and extension personnel will be able to assess the current and potential salinity threat more efficiently, in particular in areas where little soil information exists or where incipient traces of soil salinity become apparent in the cotton growing areas. Where salinity does occur, the instruments should provide useful information that will assist in determining the cause, location and extent of the problem. With such data, suitable management strategies to remediate the problem or minimise its spread can be suggested, implemented and subsequently monitored.

This ute guide can assist consultants and growers correctly identify their pest and beneficial insects and creates awareness of the role that native vegetation can play in IPM. Ultimately this information supports responsible pest management decision making.

Growers in the Walgett Cotton Growers Association(CGA) have shown ongoing interest in ensuring that they are at the forefront of new technologies and ideas. The growers have become very good at managing their resources and utilising them to the fullest extent possible and are always challenging themselves to continue on this path. They wish to further investigate alternative irrigation layouts, infrastructure and other changes to their farm operations that will provide positive economic, social and environmental outcomes for their farms and the region

In addition, having suffered variable seasons in recent times they also need to be able to see and talk to other growers that may be able to assist them with coping better with these wild fluctuations.

Due to the current dry conditions and little or no cotton this summer in the Walgett CGA, the CGA has determined that to maintain interest by growers in the region that a trip to the Southern Valleys will provide them with new ideas/ technologies, increase the networking between growers and grow their skills and knowledge.

A field trip was organised to take growers south. Our first get together with the growers in the south was at a growers meeting at Southern Cotton and we where able to meet many growers and get an understanding of the issues that they face in particular in regard to water, soils and pest and disease issues. Of particular interest was how they had progressed from rice to cotton and how that now fitted into their rotations. They are very adaptive growers and are willing to look at many options. This provided us with insights into how we may have to look even further afield to help manage and make changes to our operations in the north.

In 2012-13, Australian cotton growers and the Government, through CRDC, invested $19 million in research and development to benefit the Australian cotton industry. Major highlights for the organisation during this year include the completion of the industry’s third environmental assessment (demonstrating major improvements in water use, chemical and natural resource management); launching a joint industry extension program, CottonInfo, with partners Cotton Australia and Cotton Seed Distributors to deliver research outcomes to growers; and securing a $3.3 million grant (in partnership with other applicants) under the Government’s Clean Energy Future Plan to help tackle climate variability.

These, and the many other achievements for the CRDC during this year, are outlined in the Report.

The cotton industry and other investors have spent millions of dollars on ‘water balance’

related research over the past two decades. While soil water balance models can be used

today to answer critical questions affecting the industry, little of this water balance

research has been fully captured or insufficient data are available to model these sites. A

lack of basic soil physical data limits the use of water balance models across many areas of

the cotton industry.

Models are commonly used as decision support tools in agriculture. This project captured

data from various past and current studies of water balance and deep drainage under

irrigation in N NSW and Qld in a form useful for modelling, and ‘filled in’ some to the

gaps with additional soil hydraulic measurements at key sites. These data were used to

test the models, derive parameters, enhance understanding and so provide insights across

landscapes and over longer time periods, especially in CRC groundwater/catchment

modelling studies.

Electromagnetic Induction (EM38) technology (with depth slicing) was developed and

used throughout a cotton growing season to monitor soil water at a range of depths and

provided input to the model HowLeaky (Mills et al. 2008). The data agreed to a large

degree with the model, which estimated that during two periods in the season, a

significant amount of deep drainage occurred (100 mm). This is of concern both in terms

of wasting water and potential groundwater recharge.

Geophysical surveys and deep soil coring were taken in both irrigated and uncleared

landscapes throughout the Condamine (co-funded by Condamine Alliance) and Border

Alluvia (co-funded by Border-Gwydir CMA), to define the moisture status below the root

zone. That is, is there a moisture deficit buffer which can store increased deep drainage

from irrigation or is the regolith nearly full? Transects imaged across naturally vegetated

landscapes into irrigated paddocks found all soils under native vegetation to be very dry

(low conductivity) even when only sparsely populated by trees. In contrast, significant

long-term migration of water has occurred to deep within the regolith (up to 15 m) in

most irrigated paddocks. A wet (close to saturated) zone was found in the upper 6 m of

soil in the irrigated paddocks. The imaging results confirmed that the unsaturated zone is

filled to near saturation under all irrigated sites and remains very dry under all native

vegetation sites. Deep coring has also be used at a number of sites to collect data to

improve geophysics model parameterisation for clay soils, so that resistivity imaging can

be used with more confidence in the future to estimate the amount of water to deep in the

soil regolith.

Finally, a monitoring bore network was installed across the Border-Moonie catchments to

allow continued observation of groundwater behaviour in irrigated and dryland areas.

This area was found to have a high potential risk of future salinity problems but had little

monitoring installed. A “20-point plan” was developed and has been funded in stages by

NRM Regional Bodies (QMDC & Border-Gwydir CMA) and DERM.

Assessing changes in resource conditions is seen as an essential element for evaluating the impact of public and private investment in natural resource management(NRM) outcomes. Some observers suggest there is little to show in terms of improved natural resource condition for investment over the last 20+ years. In the language of NAPSWQ and NHT, the link between management action targets(MAT's) with time frames of 1-5 years and with 10-20 year timeframe has apparently not been made with sufficient rigor to convince policy makers of the value of NRM investment.

Agricultural industries are also keen to demonstrate their environmental credentials given they often feel targeted as the perpetrator of environmental harm in some debates despite significant individual and collective investment in developing and applying more sustainable practises.

This paper offers some observations and suggestions to progress the discussion on how to better access changes in natural resource conditions that are within the capacity of industry and regional NRM groups(the later are generally referred to as NRM Regional bodies or Catchment Management Authorities(CMA's))