This report is based on data gathered with the assistance of the membership of Cotton Consultants Australia Inc. (CCA) and covers all major cotton growing regions in Australia. The data analysed are drawn from a sample of 110 paired comparisons oflngard and conventional cotton crops. The sample draws on data from 7,634 ha of Ingard cotton, which represents approximately 9% of the 85,000 ha of transgenic cotton grown in 1998/99.

The Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) asked the University of Queensland to undertake a study to indicate socio-economic areas for research for the cotton industry. This report presents the issues that are concerning the cotton industry and recommendations for Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) from the study, which was conducted in the second semester in 1999.

The current, first edition of the Best Management Practices Manual was developed as part of the joint research program"Minimising the Impacts of Pesticides on the Riverine Environment'', which was funded by the Cotton Research & Development Corporation, the Land & Water Resources Research & Development Corporation and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission. The continued development and implementation of the Manual is being overseen by an industry "BMP Management Group", which has representatives from the Australian Cotton Growers Research Association, CRDC, the CRC and Cotton Australia. The current edition focuses on pesticides management, with sections on farm design and management, pesticide storage and handling, application of pesticides and integrated pest management.

The focus of this project included several aims. These included: a) To continue and develop work on residue handling in back to back cotton and rotation crops b) To help in the completion of evolving guidelines for the control of diapausing heliothis pupae in back to back cotton, cotton to fallow and in the direct drilling of rotation crops in standing stubble c) To extend ideas and concepts above into growing areas and leading grower operations to help industry adoption d) To offer and implement suggestions for mechanical improvements and new technological developments across the industry, including manufacturers and developers e) To ensure the guidance systems developed in previous projects are commercialised and fully released to the farming community f) To produce a MACHINE-pak that details existing and new techniques and equipment for the Australian cotton industry.

Plants respond to infection by increasing the levels of several proteins, known as PR (pathogen response) proteins (Ward et al., 1991). Some of these proteins have been shown in vitro and in vivo in transgenic plants (eg Broglie et al., 1991) to have antifungal activity. Synergism between different antifungal proteins in transgenic plants has been demonstrated (Jach et al., 1995; van den Elzen et al., 1993) so the expression of several genes for antifungal proteins is probably required for significantly improved resistance to fungal pathogens. This work has received generous support from the CRDC for several years. This has allowed the generation of several batches of cotton lines expressing putative antifungal proteins. Several lines with increased chitinase activity (around ten times background levels) and expression of elevated levels of osmotin were generated. We believe that disease resistance is important for improving overall yield under low disease pressure and avoiding yield loss in cases of severe infection. Therefore evaluation of ) this material that has already been generated was of importance to the cotton industry. The main goal of this project was to generate seed for glasshouse and field testing against Verticillium and Fusarium wilts and to undertake these tests with the best chitinase-expressing material

A survey of cotton growers in 1992 (CRDC Project DAN 76C) showed widespread interest in the use of rotation crops, plus a need for more information about the benefits of legume rotations and the effect of rotation management on subsequent cotton crops. To investigate the effect of rotation crop type and management on soil properties, cotton growth and yield, and economic returns, 3 irrigated field trials (at Merah North, WeeWaa and Warren in NSW), and 2 dryland trials (at Warra and Emerald in Queensland) were set up in 1993. During the first phase of this project monitoring of soil and crop growth was limited to the irrigated sites in NSW (CRDC Project DAN 83C). From 1996-1999 monitoring of soil properties was done in all five experimental sites. The rotations sown at each site included continuous cotton, long-fallow cotton, N fertilized and unfertilized cereals such as sorghum and wheat, double-cropped cereals (in the dryland sites), winter and summer legumes such as Iablab, faba and field pea. In all sites rotation crop stubble was incorporated. Minimum tillage systems were used at Warren, Merah North and Emerald, reduced tillage at Wee Waa and conventional tillage at Warra. Soil measurements were made in all sites with the aim of detecting changes in structure and fertility which could affect the soil's ability to produce a profitable crop of cotton. Changes in soil moisture, crop growth, development and yield of all rotation crops and cotton; and economic returns were also monitored. Additional observations were made (a joint project with UNE/World Bank fellow Mr. J. N'Kem) during the rotation phase in 1997 at Wee Waa on soil faunal populations and their effects on soil physical and chemical properties

The aim of this study was to construct a microsatellite library for the pest moth Heliothis armigera and to use this library to investigate temporal shifts in population structure. Specifically, the aim of the study was to determine whether 1998-1999 seasonal infestations of H armigera in south western Queensland were the result of migration from an external source or were derived from previous populations. A secondary aim was to investigate the relationship between larval survivorship and source population

Update Canberra biotechnology group on the ecology and severity of fusarium wilt of cotton with a view to deciding whether novel genes being researched may be used in cotton

3.1 Objectives: 1) develop methods and techniques to assess soil salinity and identify irrigation inefficiencies at the field scale 2) develop inexpensive methods and techniques to estimate groundwater recharge rate on a sub-catchment scale 3) use a salt and leaching fraction model to determine effect of increasing saline water on soil condition at a regional level 4) highlight strategies for the future.

What were the Project Objectives 1) Calibrate thiodicarb laboratory discriminating dose data w ith levels of control of Helicoverpa in the field. 2) Calibrate synthetic pyrethroid and pyrethroid/synergist laboratory resistance data with levels of control 3) Evaluate new products for lepidopteran control and their impact on natural enemies. 4) Evaluate new insecticides for sucking insect control and assess their impact on natural enemies. 5) Evaluate new biochemical and biotechnical resistance monitoring techniques. 6) Design and build a multi-treatment tractor mounted boom sprayer. 7) To extend the results of the conventional insecticide programme to all the sections of the industry