During the last 5 years we have been researching the feasibility of cotton production in the Burdekin region of north Queensland. This research suggests that good yields of high quality cotton can be grown provided that agronomy is tailored to suit local climatic conditions

To promote Australian Long Staple Cotton (ALS) large-scale spinning trials were carried out in China in late 2010 using Sicala 340BRF. Six major mills in China participated in the trials. Three yarn counts were spun: Ne 40, Ne 50 and Ne 60. The spinning performance of Sicala 340BRF was better than anticipated. The results show that ALS can be used for production of high quality fine count yarns Ne 50 and above. Partner mills have shown strong interest in continued supply of ALS.

Soil organic carbon storage in four irrigated cotton cropping systems sown on permanent beds in a cracking clay with subsoil sodicity was determined over a 9-year period in a trial near Narrabri, NSW. The treatments were: cotton-cotton (CC), cotton-vetch (CV), cotton-wheat where wheat stubble was incorporated (CW), and cotton-wheat -vetch where wheat stubble was retained as standing stubble (CVW). Vetch was terminated during or just prior to flowering by a combination of mowing and contact herbicides, and the residues retained as mulch. Average carbon storage in the 0-0.3 m and 0-1.2 m depths was higher when vetch was part of the rotation with similar values occurring in CWV and CV. On average, cropping systems that included vetch stored 2.3 t C/ha more in the 0-0.3 m depth and 5.3 t C/ha more in the 0- 1.2 m depth than those that did not. These differences correspond to inputs of nutrient-rich biomass. Net carbon sequestration rates did not differ among cropping systems and did not change significantly with time in the 0-0.3 m depth but net losses occurred in the 0-1.2 m depth.

DAFF Entomologists have found a parasitoid of the Solenopsis mealybug (Phenococcus solenopsis) from cotton at Byee in southern Qld. This is the first known record of this parasitoid in Australia. The wasp was identified as Aenasius bambawalei Hayat by Dr John La Salle, CSIRO.

Cotton blue disease (CBD) is not present in Australia. However, the vector of CBD, the cotton aphid, is common in all Australian cotton regions. It is likely that CBD has the potential to establish and spread to all cotton regions if it was to enter into Australia

During the 2008/09 season, a number of cotton fields in Theodore had problems with seedling establishment in areas where large numbers of symphyla were present. Plants also showed signs of water stress and the roots displayed a distinctive branching pattern known as a 'witch's broom'

Soil compaction is a well known risk with most cotton soils and can have significant consequences for productivity. The cotton industry is well aware of compaction risk and operations/rotations to manage ongoing problems. Cotton picking has changed dramatically with the rapid adoption of round bale pickers. The substantial increase in weight raises the question -what is the implication for compaction ?

This project commenced in 2002 to monitor DD across a range of irrigated cropping lands in the upper Murray Darling basin. At its peak, there were 11 sites where lysimeters were installed (all but one in commercial, irrigated cotton fields) giving a total of 33 lysimeters with one near the head ditch, mid field and tail ditch in each field. This monitoring has continued but the project has widened to consider the related aspects of change in root zone salinity, whether DD (or other surface water events) are linked to groundwater rise, and most recently rootzone salinity change with new irrigation technologies aimed at improved WUE. This paper will present results from the five main subject areas of the project: (i) deep drainage, (ii) WUE and soil salinity implications with a lateral move, (iii) DD leachate water quality, (iv) resistivity imaging showing deep "pools" of water and salt below irrigated fields and (v) links of surface irrigation with groundwater response.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) increased throughout a 10-year monitoring period (1998-2008) in an experiment that compared five cotton-based cropping systems. These systems included faba bean, vetch and wheat crops, as well as fallows of up to 10 months. All crops were grown on permanent ridges using minimum tillage. Topsoil (0-30 cm) contained between 40 and 42 t SOC /ha in 1998 and increased by 0.28 t C/ha/yr (or 0.51 to 1.69 t CO2e/ha/yr) across the five cropping systems. Between 2006 and 2008, SOC was measured to 90 cm depth; this indicated that on average 2.2 t C/ha/yr was sequestered (equivalent to 8.1 t CO2e/ha/yr). The greatest accretions of C occurred in the subsoil: 13%, 38% and 49% of the sequestered-C was found in the 0-30, 30-60 and 60-90 cm depth intervals, respectively. SOC was 7% higher in the cropping systems that received legume stubble. Faba bean and vetch stubbles averaged 2.89 and 3.89% N, whereas wheat and cotton stubbles averaged 0.78 and 1.56% N, respectively. Carbon (C) inputs from crop stubble (excluding roots) ranged from 11.8 to 29.6 t C/ha over the 10-year period. Sequestered C vastly exceeded the estimated CO2e emissions typical of irrigated cotton cropping systems.

Whilst managing for fibre quality is in the title of this presentation, most of the focus is on yield. However, if you're producing high yields, generally you're also producing good quality; particularly the parameters of fibre length and staple strength.