It is probable the I.P.M. of the future will rely heavily on predators, parasites, pheromones, food sprays and deterrents, and that these systems will be developed at least in part in these organic fields.

The specific aims of this project are to: I) establish a repeatable field survey scheme of key soil variables influencing cotton production in the lower Namoi, Gwydir and Macintyre valleys; 2) obtain a quantitative statement of the current status of these variables; 3) develop spatial prediction models for optimal estimation of the variables in each of the valleys; 4) build up a soil data base incorporated into a Geographical Information System (GIS)

Use of fertilizers and insecticides in cotton production has increased to the extent that cotton production is losing its profitability against other field crops. Environmental concerns are also increasing in society. Researchers have done a lot of work towards growing cotton with a minimum use of chemicals but much more is yet to be done. In the highest yielding cotton countries of the world like Australia, Guatemala and Israel, reducing the cost of production is even more important One option is to produce organic cotton and sell it at a premium. Organic cotton is cotton grown without synthetic inorganic fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, growth regulators and defoliants and duly certified by a recognized certifying organization. Organic cotton is also sometimes called clean, natural, green or environment-friendly cotton. In order to be eligible for certification as organic cotton, cotton must be grown without the prohibited chemicals for a period of three years. Cotton produced without chemicals in the first and second years is referred to as transitional, pending certification or organic certified B cotton.

International trade in organic produce is now estimated to be worth around US$40billion per annum Of this, Australia produces in the vicinity of $40m each year2 and it is expected to become nearer to 10 percent of total agricultural production by the end of the decade3. The Australian Bureau of Statistics is assessing through its farm surveys the level of organic fanning practiced and the results should provide a more definitive picture of the extent of organic production in Australia. During the late 1980s niche markets for organic produce were identified by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQJS). There markets, particularly in Europe, pay substantial premiums for Australian organic produce.

Irrigation is used to negate the climatic irregularities of rainfall. The long term sustainability of such irrigation is dependent on maintaining the quality of irrigation water (i.e., low salt concentrations) and minimising excessive deep drainage, without which regional rises in water tables cause accretion of soluble salts in the rootzone. To prevent occurrences of secondary salinisation, baseline information should be collected and monitoring procedures need to be developed and implemented to continually assess the effects of irrigation. This project is aimed at developing soil salinity assessment techniques (primarily electromagnetic induction (EM) and geostatistical) for rapid, reliable and repeatable broadscale salinity assessment and monitoring purposes, specifically on a previously identified salt rich subsoil layer, (Triantafilis and McBratney, 1993).

Compensation is the ability of the plant or crop to offset damage caused by pests or other factors such as hail. Compensation can act at the plant or crop levels. Plant compensation refers to the ability of individual plants to regrow after damage. Crop compensation may arise when damage is not uniform, i.e. crops compensate when insect attack on one individual allows its undamaged neighbour to grow faster. In this paper we present results of an experiment that shows that a plant next to a damaged plant yields more than it would otherwise.

Two years ago, the computer program entomoLOGIC 1 was first made widely available to cotton growers and consultants. It was designed to assist in management of insect pests on cotton through the use of models of crop and pest development and other technology including a valuable record keeping capability. These functions serve a common purpose; better decisions can be made with the experience and understanding gained by good records of what has occurred in the past, and good reporting of what is currently happening on the farm. The models and other new technology can then assist in analysing the immediate crop and pest situation

Pix is now in common use to manage vegetative growth of cotton in Australia. I presented a paper at the 1992 ACGRA Conference detailing how to evaluate potential responses to Pix. That procedure utilises regular measurements of plant height and node numbers. Plant growth is assessed on recent development, rather than using average node lengths. Since it is usually too late to obtain yield responses to Pix once a crop is already too tall, this procedure allows problem situations to be diagnosed before excessive vegetative growth occurs. The results of that study are summarised in Figure 1. They show that internode increases of less than 5.5 cm lead to no response or even negative yield responses to Pix.

A great proportion of the Helicoverpa eggs laid onto cotton never hatch. They are either eaten by predators, dislodged from the plant by wind and rain, killed by climatic extremes, or are infertile. If we could accurately predict the level of natural mortality of eggs, growers would be better placed to make control decisions. Utilising the natural mortality of these pests would allow growers the option of sometimes reducing or avoiding insecticidal controls when natural mortality rates are high. A reduction in pesticide application holds many benefits, especially early in the season, when sprays can disrupt the establishment of beneficial insects which are important for the integrated control of both Helicoverpa and mites in cotton. Over the past three seasons, research has been carried out to determine the levels of natural mortality in Helicoverpa eggs, the primary factors causing this mortality and changes in rates of mortality throughout the season. In addition to this, preliminary studies on the establishment and behaviour of newly hatched Helicoverpa larvae on cotton have also been conducted

The residual action of nine insecticides commonly used in cotton were assessed on the survival of the native egg parasitoid Trichogramma funiculatum by exposing adult wasps to sprayed cotton leaves 1, 3, 5, 7, 1 O and 14 days after treatment (DAT). Es-fenvelerate (.025% a.i.), betacyfluthrin (.02% a.i), methomyl (.045% a.i.) and thiodicarb (.075% a.i.) were highly toxic to the wasps, while endosulfan (.07% a.i) and profenofos (.075% a.i.) were not significantly toxic from DAT 3 onwards. Bacillus thuringiensis (30 ml/L), chlorfluazuron (.02% a.i.) and omethoate (.02% a.i.) had no significant adverse affects on wasp survival