Farmers in Australia apply between 80 and 200 kg N ba-1 to cotton, but only part of this nitrogen is taken up and used by the crop, and the remainder is lost :from the plantsoil system.

The insecticide, endosulfan, is still an effective weapon in the arsenal against Hellothis pest species. It fs used extensively in spring and summer as a cheap alternative to the synthetic pyrethroids.

Traditional plant breeding techniques have had a major impact on the Australian cotton industry through the production of the widely successful CSIRO varieties Siokra and Sicala.

Obviously, avoiding trafficking wet soil is one means of avoiding soil structural damage. Another is to use a vehicle with lower ground pressure, by using dual tyres, wide tracks, etc.

At the last ACGRA conference in 1990, it was reported that the Heliothis ID project had been running for approximately six months and species specific antibodies had not yet been obtained.