I am an irrigation farmer, very reliant on the security of water for my livelihood; I am very concerned with the pressure on the long-term availability of water for irrigated agriculture.

The use of strip crops planted beside, or near, cotton is being promoted as part of the cotton industry's' integrated pest management (lPM) guidelines.

Hands-on training in soil management was given to one hundred & seventy members of the Australian cotton industry at a series of 11 courses between October 1997 and September 1999.

Prior to the 1992-1993 cotton season, Australia was considered to be free from the fungal disease of cotton known as Fusarium wilt.

Revisions to the second edition of the cotton industry's Best Management Practices Manual have been made with an emphasis on improving the useability of the document.

Plants can utilise an array of biochemical mechanisms to protect themselves against viral, bacterial, fungal and nematode pathogens.

Alternative technologies for insect pest control are becoming increasingly important as a result of increasing insecticide resistance in the cotton pest Helicoverpa armigera the move towards ecologically sustainable a

The susceptibility to Bt toxins in Australian field populations of Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa punctigera has been monitored at the Australian Cotton Research Institute since 1993 (Forrester and Bird 1996).

The importance of research and development to the Australian cotton industry is unquestionable.

Interest in Area Wide Management is increasing within the Australian Cotton industry.

Microorganisms in soil regulate a wide range of processes that are critical for plant growth and crop productivity.

World cotton production for 2000/2001 cotton year (I'' August - 3 1'' July) is expected to be around 87-88 million bales. World consumption is expected to be around 90 million bales.

In a nutshell the answer to this question is profitability. Area Wide management (AWM) has worked very well on my farm.

Successful communications at a community level is not a new concept.

The cotton industry in Australia continues to be Tenant on insecticide and fertiliser inputs to maintain yields.

The existing harvesting technologies are systems which have been developed and refined over the past 50 plus years From the humble no cab, single row mechanical harvester to today's six row machines, technologies

The current cotton industry IPM guidelines promote the use of predator/prey ratios when making pest management decisions. This involves assessing the numbers of key predators within the cotton crop.

Blending of two or more different fibre types is of crucial significance to the textile industry.

Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to firstly define what is meant by an integrated pest management (IPM) program. Basically an IPM program should - I. Provide effective control of the pest complex. 2.