Integrated pest management systems for cotton are now being developed that place a greater emphasis on beneficial insects (Mensah and Harris 1994, Murray et al. 1994). The development of food sprays and the planting of lucerne strips has shown that effective populations of beneficial insects can be maintained within cotton crops (Mensah and Harris 1995). Reductions in pesticide use associated with the introduction of transgenic cotton should also increase the abundance of beneficial insects (at least those not dependent on Helicoverpa) and improve natural control (Dick 1994, Fitt 1994). However, there is considerable scope within the cotton agroecosystem to use other crops as nurseries and/or refuges for beneficial species, and/or as trap crops for Helicoverpa and other pests. Such nursery crops or refuges could be sown in strips through cotton fields, in a similar way to that proposed for lucerne, to attract beneficial species and/or trap pest species. The advantages and disadvantages of various crops in such a system have not been fully investigated. The nursery crop approach relies on there being sufficient beneficial insects within the wider cropping system to colonize the nursery crops in the first place and perhaps recolonize it during the season if pesticide application or drift eliminate populations in the nursery crop. However, we understand very little about the origin and dynamics of beneficial insect populations outside the cotton crop. Where do beneficial species originate and what happens to their populations when the cotton crops disappear? Which natural habitats or crops generate most beneficials?

Cotton growers and consultants are becoming concerned with the level of compaction in soils in the Gwydir. The feeling is that compaction is increasing due in part to the use of round bale pickers and to working the soil when it is still above the plastic level at depth. Compaction is believed to be impacting the productivity of the region. It is influencing crop growth, nutrition and water use and may be increasing water logging. Soil pits dug as part of the Gwydir Valley area wide management groups at Ashley and Telleraga in July 2013 indicated that there was a compaction on our irrigated cotton soils. Further pits dug in May 2014 confirm that soil compaction is not an isolated issue. General the cracking clay soils across the Gwydir Valley do repair themselves when they are able to have a series four or five wet and dry cycles. This project examined possible remediation techniques which may benefit the soils and concentrated on two key areas : 1. To increase the awareness and understanding of the compaction in irrigated cotton soils in the Gwydir Valley and 2. To investigate possible crop rotations and mechanical approaches which may help reduce the degree of compaction in irrigated soil. This is seen as important in helping to achieve a more resilient and competitive cotton farming system and an environmentally sustainable cotton industry.

Pest management is only one link in the cotton management chain. To produce an early crop it is essential that all links in that chain be securely welded together.

From before the first seed is planted, everything that 1s done, 1.e. selection of seed variety, to all cultural practices and 1nsect control must have one aim and that is earliness. There are three main cultural practices in this area: (1) Long fallow dryland, (2) Limited water - pre-watered and one other watering (usually after the corn has been finished watering in early February) and (3) Fully irrigated.

To the question "Can nutrition affect earliness?" the answer must be a definite Wes". Further, it will be just as important a factor as irrigation or pest management. Correct nutrition will form the basis of any attempt to produce a good early crop and without it one would be less likely to utilise other management tools in their most effective manner. Correct crop nutrition is more than just a question of what fertiliser at what rates or time, but rather an integrated approach leading to the most beneficial use of the fertiliser applied. The information contained in this paper applies to sel^-mulching black soils west of Wee Waa

It was once a commonly held belief in central Queensland that, because the potential cotton growing season was a long one, earliness was not an important management consideration. Such a belief is now very much a minority view among the irrigated cotton growers. On the other hand, less importance is placed on earliness in raingrown cotton because it is an expanding part of the industry and other management considerations currently receive priority.

As the first presentation on this topic I would like to very briefly outline the major advantages of producing an early crop.

The fungus Colletotrichum orbiculare(Berk. et Mont.) v. Arx (Walker and Nikandrow, unpublished data) was found causing anthracnose on X. spinosum in several locations during a survey in south eastern Australia in 1984 (Nikandrow, Weidemann and Auld, unpublished data). Although usually causing only leaf and stem lesions, a few plants were found occasional ly which had apparently been killed by the fungus. Specific isolates of the fungus were pathogenic to x. spinosum in preliminary tests, producing symptoms of seedling blight and anthracnose on older plants.

Most herbicides are complex molecules and their decomposition often requires several different chemical conversions, each mediated by a variety of organisms. Until now the detailed investigation of the ecology of such organisms has been hampered because of the need to have sufficient quantities of h e rbicide degradation products for inclusion in the selective media r equir ed for their enumeration. The rationale behind the approach to the pre sent work is that each of the chemical conversions performed by microbes will be catalysed by enzymes. The quantitative detection of the genes coding for these enzymes in soil microbial communities should indicate whether or not a soil contains organisms able to degrade a herbicide and, if it does, whether the rate of degradation will be relatively fast or slow .,

Your committee has asked me particularly to focus on the technological needs of the industry. As a background to this it's worth talking briefly about the research councils and their evolution.