Management of moisture in cotton during ginning is important in determining fibre quality and the energy cost to the ginner. CSIRO with help from the Cotton Catchment Communities (CCC) CRC, the CRDC and Australian gin partners has developed a new moisture meter for gins. The meter measures the moisture content of seed-cotton or lint as it is moved quickly by air (up to 20 m/sec) through transport ducts between gin machines. Very good responses to fluctuations in cotton moisture indicates the meter can be used as a moisture controlling device. Such a system can be used to control driers and humidifiers.

The Fitzroy Basin Association (FBA) is supporting the delivery of the Cotton myBMP program, and providing significant funding assistance to CQ cotton growers for water quality improvements adopted under myBMP.Between June 2011 and 2012, 54 growers attended Grower myBMP workshops run by Blue Dog Agribusiness at Theodore (2), the Comet River, and West Emerald Irrigation Area (EIA), and 14 service industry members attended myBMP Adviser workshops held in Theodore and Emerald. Further workshops are planned in Biloela,

Survey information like this helps in targeting research and extension efforts for the industry and to track changes over time. This poster shows just some of the information about irrigation

Some insight to the make up of cotton growing farms can be drawn from the 2011 cotton grower survey. A survey of 183 cotton growers, covering 45,410 of dryland and 114,622 ha of irrigated cotton was completed for the Cotton CRC and the Cotton Research & Development Corporation in 2011. The survey looked into features of cotton properties, farming practices in the 2010-11 season and the use of information and research. While filling out a survey is probably not your favourite thing to do, the information gathered is really valuable for the industry. It gathers key data to help tell the industry 'story'. It also helps for targeting research and extension efforts. A cotton grower survey will be repeated in 2013.

The 2011 grower survey was done for the Cotton CRC and the Cotton Research & Development Corporation. The survey looked into features of cotton properties, farming practices in the 2010-11 season and the use of information and research. 183 growers from a randomly selected sample participated, 167 of these were irrigators and 90 of these were groundwater users

Field experiments stocking varying, densities of H. armigera revealed, several differences between pigeon, pea and non-Bt cotton refuges., Survival of Helicoverpa eggs was, higher in cotton, while survival of, larvae and production of moths was, higher in pigeon pea.

Since the introduction of transgenic cotton in 1996 a robust resistance management plan (RMP) has been in place which works in consort with an insecticide resistance management strategy (IRMS). A key element to the success of this strategy is that insecticidal agents that are deployed together (in stacked Bt varieties) or sequentially (in chemical rotations) are sufficiently different to make it unlikely that resistance to one insecticide will confer cross resistance to other insecticidal products.

This study aimed to develop new refuge crop options to improve efficacy and provide more choice.