This is an on-going project of breeding cottons adapted to Australian growing conditions, diseases and pests and markets.

The Winter 2022 edition of CRDC's magazine, Spotlight, showcases some major developments in cotton R&D, highlighting the incredibly innovative nature of our cotton growers, researchers and partners: built on a culture of strong support for RD&E.

Creating vaccines for plants against pests – both disease and insect – is a game-changer for agriculture. The development of BioClay for use against silverleaf whitefly at the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Translational Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection comes as great news for the cotton industry. The Hub is being led by University of Queensland in collaboration with 15 partners, including CRDC and fellow RDCs GRDC, Wine Australia and Hort Innovation.

CRDC is also part of a ground-breaking project to address spray drift. The much-anticipated collaboration with GRDC and Goanna Ag was announced in March, with the first in a network of towers being installed in April. This represents the single biggest investment in CRDC’s history and the most significant move to improve spray application via R&D.

R&D has also come to the fore with recent yields in central Queensland. News of yields above 23 bales per hectare is extraordinary and speaks to the ability of the industry – our researchers and growers – to adapt to climatic conditions to grow cotton. CRDC has long supported QLD DAF research in central Queensland to improve outcomes for growers, and the results have gone above and beyond our expectations. The story behind these yields is great reading in this edition.

The 2021-22 year marked the fourth year under the CRDC Strategic RD&E Plan 2018–23. The strategic RD&E investments that CRDC made in 2021-22 under this plan are helping to continue to drive the Australian cotton industry towards a future of innovation, increased commercialisation and digital transformation. In 2021-22, Australian cotton growers and the Australian Government co-invested $18.3 million through CRDC into cotton RD&E, across 213 projects and in collaboration with 97 research partners. The investments were made in the five key areas identified in the Strategic RD&E Plan: increasing productivity and profitability on Australian cotton farms; improving cotton farming sustainability and value chain competitiveness; building the adaptive capacity of the Australian cotton industry; strengthening partnerships and adoption; and driving RD&E impact. In this report, we bring you an update on our progress towards our strategic goals – our investments, our innovations, and our intended impacts – four years into our Strategic RD&E Plan 2018–23.

The 2022 Australian Cotton Production Manual is a critical reference tool for cotton growers. The manual is a one-stop-shop for growers, outlining all the various decisions that need to be made on-farm in preparation for, and during, cotton production. The manual provides an understanding of cotton physiology, and discusses important considerations for both productivity and profitability. The Australian Cotton Production Manual is published by CRDC and CottonInfo and is updated each year to incorporate the latest research and consistent improvements in industry best practice.

The summer 2021-22 edition of CRDC's magazine, Spotlight, focuses on the cotton industry's progress under the PLANET. PEOPLE. PADDOCK Sustainability Framework.

The 2021 CRDC Grower Survey – out now and featured in this edition of Spotlight – shows that 18 months after its introduction, there is increasing awareness of PLANET. PEOPLE. PADDOCK. among growers, with a majority believing it is very important for the cotton industry.

While some sustainability targets are still in development, others are close to being reached. Growers have been hard at work, with significant investment and powered by world-class RD&E, to improve water use efficiency and pesticide use.

Some targets need further action from the industry. An increase in greenhouse gas emissions from cotton farms, due largely to inefficient use of nitrogen fertilisers (as outlined in the CRDC and Cotton Australia 2019 Sustainability Report) is of concern and a key focus for CRDC's research, development and extension.

In line with our commitment to improve sustainability outcomes, we recently held the first meeting of the Australian Cotton Sustainability Reference Group. And, we’re about to kick off the fourth independent environmental assessment of Australian cotton, continuing the 30 year commitment to openly and transparently assessing our impact.