The information contained in this document is a distillation of results from research, conducted over the last decade, which investigated dry season cotton production in the ORIA. An intense effort has been made to understand the dynamics of both pest and benefi cial insects associated with winter grown cotton in the region, and to devise an integrated pest management (IPM) based approach to insect control which avoids the major pests. This has required the development of a new farming system and the characterisation of cotton's agronomic performance in the northern dry season.