Ladybirds are common beneficial predators that feed primarily on a aphids in Australian cotton crops. Predation by ladybirds Helicoverpa spp.

The future of the Australian Cotton industry will be determined by grower's ability to meet the needs of our customers.

Cottonseed oil is highly polyunsaturated and is routinely hydrogenated to achieve greater stability for cooking applications and functionality for margarine production.

Fusarium wilt was identified on the Darling Downs in the early 1990's and the disease has now been found in most cotton growing areas.

Historically, green mirids are common pests of seedling cotton but not during fruit set and green vegetable bugs(GVB) are rarely a problem.

Cotton Bunchy Top (CBT), a relatively new disease, was first observed by growers in Australian cotton fields in the 1998-99 cotton-growing season.

Area-wide pest management (AWM) has had a high profile introduction to the cotton and grains industries on the Downs since 1998 and prior to that in the cotton industry in Emerald.

Cotton production in Australia occurs mainly in cracking clay soils. In the past, it was widely assumed that deep drainage was negligible in these soils (Hearn, 2000).

It is widely recognized that &quote;Plant diseases are a man-made problem&quote;. Our current farming systems are 'pathogen-friendly'.

A difficulty faced by growers using nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) products such as Gemstar can be inconsistency of the products' performance for Helicoverpa spp. control.

An integrated approach to insect pest management, particularly for Helicoverpa spp. within cotton-grain farming systems has gained strong impetus in recent seasons.

Water-use efficiency of cotton production and minimising the impact of the cotton industry on the environment have emerged as issues of great importance.

Dry season cotton production in northern Australia faces considerable challenges if it is to emerge as a sustainable industry.

This topic goes to the heart of the current crisis in the Australian cotton marketing system. The cotton industry is currently in a state of shock.

Cotton production Is the most intensive of all the broadacre industries in Australia, and the science behind the production of cotton is extensive.

Interest in Integrated Pest management (IPM) and Area Wide Management (AWM) continues to increase within the Australian Cotton industry.

Electromagnetic (EM) surveys in combination with computer models, like Sodium-SaLF, and chloride mass balance models have been used to estimate deep drainage under irrigated soils with high clay content (Wills and Bla

Helicoverpa spp are considered the most damaging insect pests of cotton in Australia and consequently have attracted considerable research attention.

Plant diseases are currently threatening the productivity and sustainability of the cotton industry.

Water Use Efficiency WUE) means maximising the returns from and minimising the environmental impacts of every megalitre (ML) of water used for irrigation purposes.