I have been in Australia to attend 'the 1992 Australian Cotton Conference' in Qld and to visit the Cottonseed Mill of Cargill Oilseed at Narrabri , last August. During the Conference, I presented a paper whose title is "A preliminary study on the chemical composition of Australian cottonseed and the relevance of cottonseed as a feedstuff for ruminant and monogastric livestock". The Conference brought a great chance for me to present my work and meet others involved in the cotton industry in Australia. After the Conference, I visited the cottonseed mill and CSIRO Cotton Research Unit Narrabri, and also learned a gossypol analysis method. The method has been used in the laboratory at Massey University, for analyses of the samples which were sent to me by CSIRO (Narrabri) . The trip was very successful and most informative

In 1990, a Cotton Research and Development Corporation funded project was begun, in cooperation with the Industry Hail Scheme Insurers, to evaluate the growth response after hail damage, of cotton varieties currently grown in the Australian cotton industry. The regrowth of varieties after simulated hail damage was investigated in a series of trials carried out over three cotton seasons. Australian-bred varieties, currently grown, were compared to the U.S. bred variety, Deltapine 90. Growth responses were measured in terms of final lint yield, delayed maturity and changes in lint quality. It was found that although there are observed differences between varieties in the rate of regrowth of vegetative material and in the rate of square production following simulated damage, hail did not affect the lint yield of varieties differentially. Date of damage and level of damage were found to be the major contributing factors to yield loss. Seasonal effects such as season length were examined to determine the effect on the lint yield of varieties, and from this it was determined that hail damage will not produce a difference in lint yield between varieties as long as the each variety is allowed to go through to maturity This is not the case in 'normal commercial cotton production' where total farm management or the climatic character of an area impose restrictions on the regrowth of one variety in comparison to another and hence can induce a difference in final lint yield. From this data, loss adjustment procedures are to be modified by the overlaying of damage date and season length to take into account the effect of damage date as measured in this work. Varietal recommendations for high hail risk areas cannot be made on the basis of differing ability of varieties to regrow after hail but should be made on the basis of the suitability of a variety for a cotton production of the specified average season length, with management strategies imposed following damage to ensure that the variety fully matures in the remaining available growing season.

In June 1993, Mr Neville Gould, Team Leader, Agricultural Engineering, NSW Agriculture, Trangie travelled to the USA for 30 days to investigate for the Australian cotton industry the issues of anhydrous ammonia application, cotton stalk and ginning trash management, non-chemical weed control, machinery design and soil compaction. Discussions were held with engineers from both John Deere and Case IH, the two machinery manufacturing companies contributing to the Australian cotton industry with the view to increasing their awareness of Australian industry needs. Mr Gould also attended the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) Summer Meeting in Spokane, where contacts of substantial future benefit were made and liaison between the ASAE and its Australian counterpart, the Society For Engineering In Agriculture was formally enhanced.

This report summarises the findings from the CRDC funded project "Managing soils to avoid compaction problems in cotton growing". The project ran from 1989/90 to 1991/92. It had the principal aims of:� developing a management system for cotton growers that would minimize tillage requirements, and� avoiding current problems with soil compaction associated with heavy machinery. The project was based on a controlled traffic approach so that compacted machinery lanes and compaction free plant zones were separately maintained

This project studied the factors responsible for frequency changes in endosulfan resistance.in populations of H. armigera in cotton. From these results it should be possible to.predict under what conditions resistance could reduce the efficacy of endosulfan for the.control of H. annigera and lead to field failures

This Project was a preliminary study to develop an R&D program into CT based farming systems for the dryland cotton industry. This Project was closely linked to a LWRRDC I GRDC funded project which studies soil compaction and repair processes and CT for the dryland grain industry. Two specific issues were identified; (a) could efficient CT systems and field layouts be developed for broadacre, large machinery farms, and; (b) could farm layouts include effective soil erosion control.

Growing other crops in rotation with cotton appears to offer the best prospect for long term viability of the cotton industry. Growers in the Macquarie, Namoi and Gwydir valleys of NSW, were surveyed to find out how widely rotation crops are used and which rotation crops growers favour. Also, soil samples were taken from paddocks which had grown cotton continuously for several years, and paddocks which had grown a rotation crop the previous season. The soil samples were subjected to a wide range of physical and chemical tests to see what differences could be measured. The survey contacted over half the cotton growers in NSW, and found that on average, cotton fields grew a rotation crop one year in 4. Wheat was the crop most frequently grown in rotation with cotton, but there was widespread interest in the use of legumes. The survey also obtained data on problems growers had encountered with rotations, what benefits they saw, and what research growers would like done. The comparison of continuous cotton fields and those growing rotation crops found that the differences are small and difficult to measure. The only tests to show up differences were dispersion index, plastic limit, % of coarse particulate organic matter and soil respiration rate. Stubble management appeared to be just as important as cropping history. Soil structure was better at sites which retained the stubble compared to sites where the stubble was burnt.

Funding from the CRDC and NSW Agriculture allowed two District Agronomists from major cotton producing areas to attend the International Pesticide Application Technology Residential Course at the Gatton campus of the University of Queensland. These District Agronomists are called on to give advice on pesticide application on a routine basis and it is critical that they are well trained, and familiar with the latest technology in this important area. The course at Gatton certainly had the desired result in enhancing the skills of the agronomists to the point that they have been able to run meetings and be involved in workshops on pesticide application with cotton growers. This report looks at the course itself, the need for the course, the key areas covered and the most important concepts learnt

Objectives 1. To develop a method for the measurement of mass flow of anhydrous ammonia fluid. 2. To determine the level of variability in output from the outlets of application rigs using either the "gas", "cold fl.o" or "liquid" processes (stage 2). 3. If indicated by stage 2 that the level of variability is unacceptable, modify/develop the application rig to ensure even distribution of N. 1bis may include the development of a device for the continuous monitoring of the flow and distribution of anhydrous ammonia during application in the field (stage 3).

In July 1992 the 9th International Working Meeting on Soil Micromorphology was held in, Townsville, Queensland. It was sponsored by Sub-Commission B of the International, Society of Soil Science. One hundred and ten participants from 23 countries met to, discuss recent developments in the field of soil micromorphology. David McKenzie, presented a paper about his structure assessment work on cotton soils, and assisted with a, post-conference tour., This report provides details about these activities and summarises information from the, meeting that is of relevance to research and advisory staff within the Australian Cotton, Industry.