Health and safety are key issues for all agricultural businesses. In managing risks to health and safety, there are well acknowledged systems and processes that can enhance a business’s capacity to not only meet legislative requirements, but also to enhance productivity. This is also important given the recent national harmonisation of the Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation. The cotton industry has been a leader in relation to the adoption of health and safety processes in Australian agriculture. Notwithstanding this position as an industry leader, further work is required to strengthen on-farm systems and processes for health and safety.

This project aimed to build on existing gains by refining health and safety resource materials that are already available and widely accepted by cotton growers. Since the development of the Managing Cotton Farm Safety program and related resources in 2000, these materials have been incorporated into the myBMP program. However, since 2000 there have been considerable developments in cotton farming technologies, resulting in changed practices that have an impact on health and safety. In light of these changes, these resource materials required updating to ensure they meet current best practice.

The incorporation of the updated resources into the myBMP program ensures growers are able to utilise the best available information to support their health and safety systems and practices. Continued improvements in health and safety performance by the cotton industry will have a positive impact on restricting increments in workers compensation claims and also maximizing productivity.

The first exposure the cotton industry had to linking industry developed training programs to the vocational education sector occurred between 2002‐2005, with the funding of an extension project called the IPM Training Coordinator (project AC 4.2.04). The experience was extremely positive and well received by industry. Subsequently, the Cotton Training Coordinator project (5.1.01) was established. It was a strategic position within the Cotton Catchment Communities CRC extension team. The project had three foci. Firstly, to assist in the development and implementation of industry funded training across all research areas. Secondly, to identify training opportunities within cotton that had potential alignment to the vocational education system. Finally, the third was to build networks and relationships within the vocational educational and training sector. Achieving these objectives would advance the development of a training culture and increase the influence of the cotton industry within the national training agenda.

Establishing and resourcing a Cotton Training Coordinator for the industry provided a contact point for the vocational education and training sector to engage with the cotton industry. A good working relationship with various vocational organisations such as Agrifood Industry Skills Council, Department of Education Employment and Work Relations and the Queensland’s Department of Education, Training and the Arts (DETA) was created generating various invitations to joint numerous project steering and advisory committees. This strategic involvement has ensured the cotton industry skills needs are tabled for consideration at the federal and state training agenda. Active participation in the development of the 2007 and 2008 Queensland Rural Skills plan is one example of this beneficial interaction. This plan has been prepared by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries to help advise DETA in Queensland on the required agricultural skill needs .

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The project has proven the viability of linking field extension activities with units of competencies from the Australian Qualification Training Framework. The Cotton and Grains Irrigation Workshop series is a good example of how this practical link can occur. The workshops are short three hour in‐field events that have been developed to assist the adoption of industry research in water management. The development of the workshop contents addressed the key research / extension messages in addition to the requirements of selected water and environmental units of competency from the Rural Production training package. The vocational alignment provides greater rigour to the final product and provides a clear pathway for producers to obtain a formal qualification in the future if they wish to do so by using this training experience. Potentially, a more effective use of their time.

This project’s development and industry endorsement by Australian Cotton Industry Council (ACIC‐ peak industry body) for a new industry award known as the Certified BMP Farm Manager (aka Diploma of Agriculture – specialising in cotton production) is another significant milestone. The training coordinator was able to demonstrate how a unique skill set developed by an individual via the implementing and achieving BMP accreditation for their farm, can be assessed and recognised by the vocational sector as achieving a Diploma of Agriculture ‐ Specialising in Cotton Production. The process of achieving a certified BMP Farm Manager award is not an automatic granting upon a farm achieving accreditation. Rather the applicant undertakes an assessment via the recognition of prior learning pathway to demonstrate their new skill sets. This assessment is substantial and rigourous with an independent registered training organisation (RTO) conducting the process. Successful applicants receive both the Diploma from the RTO and an award from industry. This new industry award provides the eligible individual with a marketable skill both within and outside the irrigated farming system. A legacy this project has been generated for years to come.

One aspect of the desire to improve the quality of the Australian cotton crop is to introduce new fibre quality instrumentation to supplement the current Mircronaire measurement. In previous CRDC funded projects, CSIRO has developed the Cottonscan instrumentation to directly measure the average fibre fineness or linear density of a cotton sample. Recently BSC Electronics have been licensed to commercialise the Cottonscan technology by intergrating both the Cottonscan and SiroMat technologies into an updated version of their commercailly available Cottonscope instrument, i.e Cottonscope Mark 2.

This one year small project was designed to enable CSIRO to provide, as required, technical and technical-marketing support to BSC Electronics during the technology transfer phase and early commercialisation of the Cottonscan/Cottonscope technology.

The project has been succcessful. Trials comparing Cottonscope test results with reference cross-section test data show good, clear relationships. Importantly the project has successfully resolved an important technical issue with the precision of the Cottonscope data which had potential, if not resolved, to significantly impact negatively on the future of the technology.

Strategically a number of scientific papers, technical reports and trade presentations have been prepared and presented as technical marketing support for the technology.

Finally, Cottonscope instruments are now located and operating at CSIRO in Belmont and Narrabri; the USDA in New Orleans, USA; Texas Tech University in Lubbock TX, USA; and Dai Chung Textiles Ltd., Guangdong, China.

The updated National Water Use in Agriculture RDE Strategy 2015 and the successful “Smarter Irrigation for Profit” Rural R&D For Profit project. CRDC committed to continued involved in the implementation of this important strategy for the agricultural sector.

Water scarcity is the major limiting factor to Australia’s agricultural productivity. Droughts, water reforms such

as the Murray Darling Basin Plan, competing water uses from mining and urban growth, and Australia’s highly

variable climate patterns are placing growing pressure on water use in agriculture.

Food security and production is now a key part of the national policy agenda and there is renewed interest in

agricultural expansion (e.g. Northern Australia) and transformation of existing rainfed systems with irrigation

(e.g. Tasmania).

There are complex interactions between water, energy costs, labour needs, nutrient use, crop agronomy, soils,

salinity and the water balance that need to be better understood.

Infrastructure, technology and engineering solutions alone will not provide the outcomes required. New

knowledge, farmer led learning sites, adaptation and adoption of current knowledge; and improvement in

the skills and capabilities of water suppliers, farmers, advisors and students are crucial to achieving long-term

continuing improvement.

Australia achieves world-leading farm water productivity whilst enhancing environmental

and social sustainability through all stakeholders working together to maximise benefits from

research, development and extension.

Aim

The aim of this Water Use in Agriculture RD&E strategy is to facilitate a RD&E model that will result in:

• more effective delivery of RD&E outcomes for agricultural industries (irrigated and rainfed) seeking to

maximise water productivity and adapt to decreasing availability of water

• better utilisation of available RD&E funds, facilities and capabilities relevant to water use in agriculture,

especially through enhanced collaboration between RD&E providers

• increased capability of water managers and users to help deliver transformations in the way that water is

used in agriculture

• effective networks of RD&E provider groups which can retain and build capability and deliver leading-edge

RD&E relevant to industry and community needs

• an effective organising framework for RD&E in water use in agriculture that provides greater national and

regional coordination of investment and service delivery, enhanced cross-commodity coordination, and

improved linkages to other water-using sectors.

This document provides a brief outline of the projects CRDC has invested in for 2019-2020 (current as of June 2019).

It has been accepted for many years that there is an interaction between plants

and the microbiological life that exists in soil. This interaction is particularly

important in the rhizosphere (Hiltner, 1904), where plant exudates directly feed the

microbial population, which in turn is responsible for nutrient cycling, production of

growth promoters, and occasionally development of pathogenicity. These factors are

important to plant health. However, the difficulties of studying such interactions in

the soil and the inability to grow the majority of soil microorganisms in the

laboratory have resulted in limited research in this area.

With the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops into agricultural

production systems, public concern resulted in renewed interest and research into

the possible environmental consequences of growing GM Crops(Brookes and

Barfoot, 2005). This included the potential impact of GM crops on soil microbiology.

GM crops have the potential to influence soil microbiology through (i)the exudation

of transgenic proteins from the rootsystem, (ii)the release of transgenic proteins

from broken and dying roots, (iii) the incorporation of above ground plant material

into the soil, and (iv) differences in exudation chemistry (Gupta and Watson, 2004;

Knox et a1. , 2006; Saxena and Stotzky, 2001).

Between 2003 and 2006 we assessed the potential for GM cotton, expressing

either insecticidal Bt-proteins, glyphosate tolerance or both traits, to influence the

soil microbiota. The analysis of the rhizosphere microbiology showed some

differences, but none that were specifically identified as being caused by the

expression of the introduced transgenic material(Knox et a1. , 2004). The results did,

however, imply that cotton variety and family groupings were more likely to be

associated with the observed differences in the rhizosphere microbiota.

In this project we investigated the impact and significance of variety driven

alteration of rhizosphere microbiology for a number of Australian cotton varieties.

With a reduced number of Bt stewardship research projects, the need to provide financial support for travel to Bt tech meetings may increase. It is particularly important to maintain the Bt tech panel with considered and unbiased technical support.

The attendees participated in the Bt tech panel meeting, providing significant contribution to discussions with Bayer, Research opportunities and engagement opportunities with CottonInc representatives and bio security research opportunities.

Several issues developing around Bt crops [chickpea, pigeonpea, sorghum] at ICRISAT. Considerable difficulties with achieving high expression and lack of clear understanding of deployment or management needs. This is particularly significant in an environment where Bt cotton is already grown and likely to be very extensively grown before any further Bt crops are deployed. ICRISAT committed to providing technology and varieties at no cost to producers, but has limited capacity to really engage with producers.

Delivered a seminar on “Bt cotton in Integrated Pest Management” and stressed the issues of coordinated use of Bt genes across crops.

Managing sustainable cotton production is becoming more difficult with the ever-increasing demand on limited resources. In addition cotton growers are facing increased pressures to manage resources more cost effectively and to be more accountable for the impact that their decisions make on the surrounding environment. Computer based decision support systems (DSS) and simulation models are being developed and used to provide cotton growers with the best information and tools available from research to assist with their management decisions. A primary aim of the decision support and modelling teams in the cotton industry is to utilise sound and up to date technology, and integrate this technology across different electronic platforms and mechanisms, and finally delivering it to the industry for adoption ‘Science into Practice’.

While the flagship of cotton decision support is CottonLOGIC (registered copies 1175 Dec. 2001), there are many other tools that are being developed by the group such as the handheld version of CottonLOGIC, HydroLOGIC and the Cotton CRC’s website. Supporting existing products, changing computer systems (eg. Windows 3.11 to Windows 95, 98, 2000 and now Windows XP), and continued demands for other computerised decision support tools to be developed and demands by industry to explore new opportunities, place significant pressure on the resources of the decision support team to meet all these needs. Presently, one full time programmer is assigned to developing CottonLOGIC decision support tools, however, much of his time can be dedicated in supporting and refining CottonLOGIC to meet users requirements.

The aim of this report is to provide a picture of how IPM is working on the ground, by giving an understanding of the thoughts of cotton growers and consultants in relation to IPM. Quantitative and qualitative information is used to assist in this goal.

Of particular interest are the attitudes of growers to the individual components of a successful IPM approach. Their commitment to Area Wide Management(AWM) Strategies and the barriers they encounter are discussed in this report. Similarly, the role of beneficials and the recovery of the plantfrom damage is considered. Agronomic Consultants are central to the implementation of insect management strategies. This report aims to provide an overview of their experience and impressions, and how management has changed overtime.