Contamination is the major issue of concern to the ginning, and textile industry. In our study cottons with and without foreign matter were processed into yarn. The cotton was carded but the contamination was not fully firmed by the card as foreign matter often flattened in carding. The contamination tends to fibrillate and behave as coarse fibers. The contaminated cottons fiber always appears to interfere with the drafting process and the ring travelers during yarn formation resulting in increased end breaks, thus lowering the strength of contaminated yarns

The Problem Periodically, late season outbreaks of pests such as thrips, jassids, cluster caterpillar and spur-throated locusts may cause damage to the cotton canopy and/ or flowers. Research over 4 years investigated potential consequences for cotton by manually removing all leaves from the top 6 or 9 nodes at different dates from flowering to beyond cutout or removing 50 or 100% of leaf area. We also evaluated flower loss for a 1 week period to test if this interacted with leaf damage

In 2001 a comprehensive review of centre pivot and lateral move (CPLM) irrigation systems in the Australian cotton industry was undertaken by Foley & Raine (2001). Interviews of 31 growers provided a detailed look at the design, management and performance of these systems. Although there is no definitive information on the total number of irrigators using CPLM in the cotton industry, it is apparent that since this study, the number of CPLM systems used within the cotton industry has significantly increased. With the accelerated adoption under infrastructure funding programs has come more questions surrounding design, operation and management.

A major threat to the longevity of Bt cotton is Helicoverpa's ability to develop genetic resistance to high doses of Bt toxins. To counter this threat, refuges are planted to produce large numbers of moths to dilute any moths emerging from Bt crops which could be carrying Bt resistant genes. Using cages (Fig. 1), we compared the number of moths emerging from Bt cotton and productive refuges and their levels of resistance.

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

Outline Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), an important economic crop of Australia, often experiences yield losses due to environmental fluctuations. Increased ethylene accumulation in waterlogged cotton plant induces young fruit abscission of waterlogged cotton. Earlier studies proposed the effectiveness of anti-ethylene agent aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) for limiting ethylene biosynthesis in plants experiencing a variety of stresses e.g. salinity, drought and waterlogging. Through a series of glasshouse and field experiments, we optimised AVG application rate and time for waterlogged cotton.

The Australian Cotton Industry is developing a carbon (C) footprint calculator for cotton farms. The calculator determines C sequestration and emissions associated with agricultural production (irrigated and dryland crops and grazing enterprises), as well as the net primary productivity (NPP) and C sequestered by native vegetation. NPP is defined as the net flux of carbon from the atmosphere into green plants per unit time (Distributed Active Archive Center, 2014). A case study illustrating the C footprint of a cotton farm near Wee Waa has been developed and is reported here. The calculator will demonstrate how growers can be carbon neutral, or even better, generate carbon credits. In addition, carbon conscious consumers need reassurance that the system used to grow the product is environmentally sustainable

Issues being addressed? Furrow irrigation is the most popular irrigation method in cotton. However, two issues: low efficiency and huge labour involvement concern irrigators due to scarcity in recent years. To address these issues, NCEA and Rubicon Water, Australia are developing a commercial prototype smart furrow irrigation system. The system has shown that both issues disappear with adoption of real-time optimisation and automated furrow irrigation.

Issue being addressed? Cut-off time is vital in furrow irrigation as it significantly affects the efficiency of irrigation. Traditionally, irrigators continue the irrigation until the water reaches the end of the field. Simulation software can also be used to optimise cut-off time. However, first method is proven inappropriate and the latter method is complex. Hence, a simple method to determine cut-off time for farmers to manage furrow irrigation efficiently was evaluated and found to give cut-off times similar to the optimum time.

High-yielding cotton can be grown without causing environmental damage. Most growers aim to do this but believe high levels of inputs are required, but this is not necessarily the case. High (excessive) inputs of resources (water, fertiliser, energy) reduce profitability where these resources are not optimised. Excess N fertiliser results in increased green house gas (GHG) emissions, especially nitrous oxide, which damages the cotton industry's environmentally responsible image. Excess fertiliser and water applications promote excess crop growth and reduce yield and profits. In many cases, growers can produce higher-yielding crops and increase profits by optimising fertiliser and water applications