Water availability will be a key consideration for some (if not all!) growers during the coming season. So in this edition, we take a look at management options for growers with a limited water supply.

In this edition of the CottonInfo enews, we bring you two of the key things you need to know from the Guide: the herbicide and insecticide resistance management strategies.

Establishing the cotton crop is a critical operation, setting the standard for the entire season. Here's what you need to know, courtesy of CottonInfo partner CSD and the Australian Cotton Production Manual.

Drip irrigation has been of interest in regions where water is scarce or expensive (e.g. Israel and Arizona). In Australia the water supply is very variable, while the cost of water, though cheap by some standards, could become more expensive in the future. Claims by distributors and agents of improved efficiency of irrigation and heavier yields of cotton due to drip irrigation in 1981-82 and 1983-84 had not been validated for Australian conditions. This created the need for an objective assessment of drip irrigation for cotton. This project compares two types of drip irrigation and standard furrow irrigation in a randomized and replicated experiment.

Several factors influence the nitrogen demands of a cotton crop and the ability of the soil and fertiliser to satisfy these demands. Some of these factors (eg weather) are beyond the control of a cotton grower. One of the skills of cotton growing is having agronomy , especially fertiliser application strategies, that are least penalised by adverse conditions. Additionally, and especially during times of low prices, no grower can afford to miss any yield. This article outlines key principles arising from nutrition experiments and describes the options when deciding on fertiliser rates.

This research investigated the use of continuously monitor leaf hydration of cotton non-destructively and remotely using ZIM-probes throughout the irrigation cycle. The project will compare the probe output with traditional methods of measuring plant and soil moisture status and compare these with the timing of the irrigation events to determine whether the non-destructive method gives an accurate indication of plant water status, which could be used for optimising irrigation schedules. ZIM-probes were clamped to main stem and subtending leaves of random cotton plants in two adjacent fields on a grower’s property near Narrabri . The probes consist of miniature pressure sensors that clamp to leaves via magnets. The magnets apply a constant force to the leaf, which is opposed by the leaf’s turgor pressure. The pressure sensor detects the change in leaf turgor as the plant dehydrates and rehydrates in response to water availability and transpiration. The output patch pressure can thus be used as an indication of the changing water status of the plant. Measurements of canopy temperature, soil moisture content, stomatal conductance and leaf water potential will also be collected at various stages during the irrigation cycle, as well as ambient temperature and humidity. The combined measurements will be used to determine: (1) whether ZIM-probes monitor water status of cotton accurately and (2) whether the output patch pressure could be used to indicate the optimal irrigation scheduling for the crop throughout the season and subsequently, how to maximise water use efficiency. A better understanding of cotton water use efficiency, and optimal irrigation scheduling will provide growers with better strategies for managing water in their farming system.

The results indicate that Pp data collected by ZIM-probes in the field could be a useful tool complementing other technologies for irrigation scheduling. The patterns in Pp for cotton showed two distinct signs of crop stress, including the formation of inverse peaks during the middle of the day time, and slower recovery of Pp at night time.

The Australian cotton industry recognises the value of people and has a vision that by 2029 it will be an - an industry that “retains, attracts and develops highly capable people” (Cotton Research and Development Corporation 2010, p. 4). Implementing this vision is, however, difficult to do when the costs and benefits of human resources improvements are not well understood. For example there is a major gap in current knowledge in how employee turnover could be expected to the productivity and profitability of cotton production.

A key challenge for Australian agricultural producers is to continually innovate and adapt in the context of a global economy, technological advances, and a more variable climate. The emphasis in research studies related to agricultural adaptation have tended to focus on bio-physical responses or technological solutions in farming systems with limited attention to the farm workforce and workforce organisation. Yet in Australia, changes in farm workforce organisation in the last decade have been a significant feature of broader agricultural change. Whilst family owned and operated farms are predominant, there has been a reduction in family members as a proportion of the total farm workforce, and an increase in casual (temporary), contract and seasonal workforces including those sourced from overseas. Further, some farm families are implementing ‘corporate models’ of work organisation involving farm managers and farm management teams. To effectively support agricultural adaptation, it is important to consider: How are farmer’s workforce strategies being formed? And, what are the implications of farm workforce changes for innovation and adaptation? This paper examines these questions through reporting on a study of farm workplaces in the Australian cotton production sector. A case study methodology was used involving 16 farm businesses and interviews with farm owners or managers and a survey of their employees (where possible). Data was collected relating to farm business analysis; farm workforce organisation and decisions related to workforce structures; employers’ attitudes toward employee engagement and retention; d) human resource management practices; and f) employee training, burnout and work engagement. An analysis of Australian cotton farmer’s workforce strategies was conducted by bringing together theories of livelihoods analysis and strategic human resource management. Decisions related to the farm workforce were found to influence, and be influenced by, adaptive responses to technological and climate change. The farm workforce can also be used as a strategy for farm adaptation. This has implications for assisting farm managers in their decisions regarding farm workforce strategies and workforce management as well as for a range of policy areas involving the intersection of technology and innovation, climate adaptation, agricultural extension and advisory systems

This project will provide the cotton industry with a champion for Rivercare aiming to communicate to cotton growers and the general public, through the establishment of a long-term riparian condition monitoring site on “Taraba”, how best management practice leads to good condition riparian areas. Taraba is the home of a cotton farmer who has a farm on the Macintyre river in southern QLD. this farmer is passionate about maintaining healthy ecosystems on his farm as part of running his farming business

Through the communication of the monitoring outcomes and participation in both industry and external conferences and forums as the Cotton RiverCare Champion, the farmer will be able to help the industry engage in conversations around the importance of good riparian stewardship for the resilience of a cotton farming business.

The aim of this project is not to collect scientific data but to assist the NRM Technical Specialist engage the cotton industry in good riparian stewardship as part of the “In it together campaign”.

In an increasing environmentally conscious global community, the Australian Cotton Industry, to maintain access to water, needs to demonstrate its good stewardship of rivers and riparian areas. Recent CRDC funded research by Dr Sam Capon is reiterating the close link between riparian management practice and condition.

Greg Constable and I have previously shown that in the Namoi Valley an irrigation water supply of 8 ML per ha is needed to obtain maximum yields in the driest years. In most years however, because there is more rain, less water is needed. The question therefore arises: with a fixed volumetric allocation of irrigation water is the best strategy to allow 8 Ml per ha or is it better to use less water per ha and to grow more hectares with the water saved? Only in the driest years would yields be reduced and even then the larger area could compensate for the reduced returns per ha.

Cotton growers in the Dawson Valley currently have no access to localised, correct weather forecasting and status and rely on information relayed from weather stations located at Biloela which is 116 km away. Local growers wish to increase their access to reliable weather information to enable them to determine predicted temperature, rainfall events and wind direction and speed thus enabling them to make better farm and crop management decisions.

The purchase and installation of three Oz Forecast Next Gen Compact Weather Stations with solar radiation kits will enable growers to access this information easily on their mobile phones and has the capacity for Station extension to include soil temperature.