The initiation of the purchase of the high clearance applicator was derived after the research officer (Grant Roberts) conducted experiments at seven different field sites in I997/1998 from Carrol in NSW to Bowenville in Queensland. In conducting these experiments it became obvious that a major limitation to managing these experiments was the ability to quickly apply herbicides to experimental plots in the field. At that time the researcher and assistant prepared herbicides the previous day and applied herbicides to trial plots using a 4m hand boom. Where large scale field trials were necessary it was nearly impossible to apply all the required treatments in the same week, which was necessary to maintain the integrity of the experimental design.

Dryland cotton fanning systems are complex and usually comprise of a number of different rotational crops in conjunction with summer and winter fallows. The standard system employed in dryland cotton production is the planting of cotton after a 10-month fallow from a winter cereal(Marshall 2002). However, there are a number of alternative planting options, such as sorghum, sunflowers or Innize, which for reasons of price or available soil moisture should be planted in place of cotton. Although originating from hot and regions and tolerant of long dry periods, modern cotton varieties require warm to hot growing conditions and reliable rainfall during the growing season. Cotton should be planted into a minimum of 60cm of wet soil, where as in lower rainfall areas 90cm of wet soil is preferred to provide sufficient moisture between rainfall events (Bange et al. 2002). For these reasons, dryland cotton production tends to be limited to areas receiving greater than 600mm of rainfall annually, with approximately 40% of that rain falling during the summer growing season. Currently, cotton is grown commercially from Hillston in the south-west of NSW to Emerald in central Queensland, although trial plantings have been established in the Northern Territory and the northwest regions of Western Australia. Dryland production accounts for approximately 20% of the total area planted to cotton, with the junior production regions in the lower and upper Namoi Valley, Moree, the Darling Downs, south-west Queensland and central Queensland (Marshall et al. 2002).

Adequate soil moisture and the likelihood of receiving planting rains are critical factors for growers in deciding which crops they are likely to plant, particularly in the summer cropping phase. The critical nature of soil moisture to dryland production has seen the evolution of a number of different planting configurations, including solid, single skip row and double skip row planting that maybe employed by growers to conserve soil moisture throughout the season.

Weed management in farming systems involving dryland cotton is then by nature equally complex. A number of the residual herbicides used in rotational crops may damage cotton, in particular the sulfonylurea and triazine herbicides such as chlorsulfuron and atrazine. Equally, a number of the common cotton herbicides have long plant backs to either winter cereals or other summer cereals used in rotation with dryland cotton. To preserve soil moisture, many dryland growers have adopted minimum or zero tillage systems that are almost solely reliant on herbicides for weed control . Control measures therefore must be flexible to allow last minute changes in the crops grown due to soil moisture limitations or price fluctuations and need to provide adequate levels of protection against weeds in the chosen crop, as well as in the planting configuration being used.

To better understand the weed management issues of this complex farming system and to provide direction for future research efforts, a scoping study was initiated in July 2001 by the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC), Australian Cotton CRC, Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and CRC for Australian Weed Management. The scoping study was a collaborative project involving scientists and technical staff from Queensland Department of Primary Industries and New South Wales Agriculture.

The main recommendation arising from six and a half years of research into how to

gin cotton with an emphasis on quality relates to practices outside of ginning, rather

than ginning itself.

The research in part produced a rigorous comparison of Australian cotton against

cotton from a similar industry (USA). We lost. While Australian cotton had several

good attributes, it was shown to be appreciably higher in Nep content.

Other individual studies showed the quality aspects of UNR cotton, of combinations

of cotton moisture and heating levels, and the relevant importance of a wide range

of quality attributes of lint in predicting a wide range of quality attributes of yarn

and fabric. Initial work was also carried out into how much decisions taken during

growing, affect cotton quality post harvest.

The main outcome of this research is to show that there is a Ginner's Paradox.

There are two main groups of quality attributes for cotton lint. The first group is

concerned with cleanliness and appearance (leaf, colour where weathering is not an

issue, preparation, etc). The second group relate to performance in the hands of the

industrial buyer (several length attributes, plus Neps and immature fibre content).

The former affect bale price strongly, but quality in the hands of the industrial buyer

little or not at all, where as the latter affect quality in the hands of the industrial

buyer strongly but bale price little or not at all.

The paradox for the ginner is that he can gin for best results in one or other of these

groups of attributes, but not both.

Current classing practice emphasizes the former, but punishes or ignores the latter.

For pragmatic reasons, ginning practice follows classing practice. The end result is

that an opportunity to produce a step upwards in quality across the Australian

industry is going begging.

Those classing practices must change before the results of this research can be

adopted.

This project identified a method of evaluating crop growth to predict yield response to Pix. * Two nutritional disorders were examined. Firstly, the long fallow (Galathera) syndrome is undoubtably due to poor infection by mycorrhiza. Zinc fertilizer strategies and possible soil management strategies were identified to minimise the problem. Secondly, waterlogging induced iron chlorosis was identified, but the condition was not completely solved by iron fertilizer: removing foliar symptoms did not necessarily improve yield. *Nutrient diagnosis. A database has been established to indicate desirable levels of all nutrients in cotton leaf tissue. In conjunction with experiments where deficiencies are confirmed, this data can be used to assist with diagnosis of crop nutrient status.

The aim of the project was to produce more virulent strains of a naturally occurlng entomopathogenlc nuclear polyhedrosls virus of Heliothis species.

The first Queensland soil management training workshop was held in July 1991 at Dalby. Funding came from the Cotton Research and Development Corporation and the National Soil Conservation Program. The aim of the workshop was to improve the soil advisory skills of local consultants and agronomists by enhancing their skills both in observing and recording soil structure and in producing advisory recommendations based on these observations. This was a first step in redressing the discrepancy between the high incidence of soil structure problems observed in cropping lands and the lack of personnel able to advise on repair and prevention programs.

This project involved the purchase of equipment to measure the surface water inputs and outputs of two commercial scale cotton fields. Cotton is grown on each field in alternate years and fallowed in the off year so that it was possible to compare the hydrologic behaviour of both cropped and fallow conditions. Irrigation water and rainfall inputs and tail water outputs were measured. Irrigation water input was measured with an open flow meter installed in the head ditch of the field containing cotton. Rainfall quantity and intensity were measured with a tipping bucket rain guage connected to a data logger. Outflow of surface water from both fields was measured with v-notch weirs and water depth sensors coupled to data loggers. A computer program has been written to process data logger output into a form for graphing and analysis.

The Project The Galathera syndrome affects cotton growing in the Namoi Valley, north-western New South Wales. Its symptoms include stunting and foliar discolouration of young seedlings, from which the plants may recover: but too late to reach their genetic potential for lint yield. An earlier bioassay showed the presence of phytotoxin(s) in a Galathera-prone soil from the property of Auscott Pty. Ltd., Narrabri, N.S.W. (plate 1). This project sought to test that result and to find chemical and physical differences between Galathera and nearby nonGalathera soils which might account for differences, if any, in their phytotoxic properties.

The colour of cotton fibre is affected by plant genetics, environmental factors, harvest and processing conditions. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) boll rot and fibre damage are usually associated with excessive rainfall. Managing colour pigmentation (and potential degradation) can affect the fibre’s ability to absorb and hold dyes and finishes. Cotton colour is an important aspect in determining the cotton quality and ultimately the price paid to the cotton growers.

Australian produces the highest quality upland cotton in the world. A significant risk to growers achieving market prices for this high quality/grade is the effect of heavy rainfall at the time of harvest. The opportunity cost to industry of colour grade loss due to rain is estimated on average to be $33.5 million, $13.75 per bale or approx. $137 per hectare over the last 10 years. The worst industry impact in one year (2014) was $119million, $24.00 per bale or approx. $240 per hectare.

This project will explore the opportunities to identify and exploit existing IP (and/or in subsequent project invent solutions) to the problem of colour gradation due to rain.

Weed surveys conducted by Charles (1989), Roberts (1996 unpublished) and Taylor (2002 unpublished) indicate that the majority of weeds affecting cotton production in Australian farming systems are annual and ephemeral species. These species include bladder ketmia, peach vine, caltrop, yellow vine, annual ground cherry and phasey bean. A review of the literature concerning these species reveals that the biology and ecology of the majority of these species is either poorly understood or has not been investigated. The survival strategy for the majority of weed species found in cotton farming systems revolves around their ability to produce large quantities of seed with varying seed dormancy and germination characteristics that enable them to exploit the cotton agro-ecosystem.

To devise better management strategies for these troublesome weeds it is essential for weed scientists to be able to study the biology and ecology of these weeds, in particular, how environmental factors interact with natural genetic variability to influence seed germination and dormancy. A better understanding of how these environmental factors impact seed germination and dormancy will enable growers to introduce more timely control measures.