The Australian cotton industry has used values of Gross Production Water Use Index (GPWUIfarm) to benchmark water use efficiency since 1988/89.

Early planting poses some risk in cool regions resulting in re-planting if cold days or frost occur after emergence.

The frequency and severity of potassium (K) deficiency symptoms in cotton on the highly productive clay soils in Texas have increased in recent years.

One of the key challenges growers have when they have water for a limited number of irrigations is confidently knowing when to use this water to optimise yield, quality and water use efficiency.

Careful management is needed if row crops are to be established after rice crops. It will take about 18 months for the soil to be suitable for row crops after the conversion of rice layouts to a row crop layout.

Solenopsis mealybug (Phenococcus solenopsis) has been a pest of cotton in Australia since initial outbreaks in Emerald and the Burdekin in 2009.

Question/issue being addressed? Continued pressure on oil price affects cotton production because it is a highly mechanised and high-input crop that relies heavily on diesel, fertilisers, chemicals and water.

Transform insecticide is a new insecticide which was registered for control of the key sap-feeding pests in Australian cotton in 2013.

Why are disease surveys important? Surveys are conducted by pathologists to monitor the distribution and importance of key endemic pests and record the presence or absence of new or exotic diseases.

The Problem Cotton aphid and silverleaf whitefly feed on phloem sap and produce sugar rich honeydew that can contaminate open cotton bolls leading to downstream problems with processing.

The cotton industry is challenged with attracting and retaining core staff, on-farm labour, and access to professional advisers and service providers.

Outline Silverleaf Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is a major pest of cotton. This is because it produces sticky honeydew that contaminates lint, reducing the quality of cotton.

Deep drainage below irrigated crops wastes a scarce resource and can potentially lead to rising water tables and salinity.

challenges suggest the need for research with cotton growers, distributers and participants in the production cycle, to understand what people think the future holds for the industry, and it's cotton communities.

An innovative collaborative project run by NSW DPI Cotton Pathologist Dr Karen Kirkby and CSIRO Cotton Industry Education Officer Trudy Staines introduced students from year 10 Narrabri High School to possible career

Research undertaken by NSW DPI Pathology in the project Diseases of Cotton XI continues to ask questions with regard to pathogens causing diseases of cotton.

The reniform nematode is a major constraint to cotton production in the USA. Recent detections in Central Queensland have led to an extensive soil survey of the Theodore district.

The Human Capacity Assessment and Benchmarking project is a system to gather data and provide an analysis tool to monitor the effectiveness of cotton industry extension and training activities.

Questions, issues being addressed? * Verticillium wilt issues that NSW DPI Pathology in the project Diseases of Cotton XI have been and are continuing to look at.

This paper communicates further the findings, pertaining to the John Deere 7760 (JD7760) round module picker, of the Cotton Growing Practices 2013 industry survey and current research at the National Centre for Engine