Host plant resistance has long been a focus of the CSIRO cotton breeding program with emphasis on both morphological (okra leaf, frego bract) and biochemical factors (high gossypol) for resistance to insects. Some of this work was reported at the last cotton conference (Fitt et at 1994). Conventional breeding for pest resistance makes small incremental improvements in the tolerance of varieties to insect feeding and damage. With the advent of genetically engineered cotton the stage is set for quantum leaps in pest resistance, through the introduction of the INGARD Bt gene. However, this does not mean conventional approaches are no longer useful. Ally change to the plant to make it less attractive to pests or more tolerant to damage will only enhance the value of genetically engineered traits by providing a stronger, more stable basis on which to manage those genes. We have continued our work on conventional pest resistance, though now with the added aim of screening breeding lines and other genotypes for resistance to sucking pests like minds, in addition to Helicoverpa and mites. With increasing concern about the possible emergence of Bemisia tabaci Type B (silverleaf whitefly) as a major pest of cotton following its recent introduction to Australia we have also taken the opportunity to evaluate genotypes against whitefly and aphids. This opportunity arose when the unsprayed plots at one of our study sites (Plant Breeding institute, Narrabri) became quite heavily infested with these pests during the 1995/96 season. Here we report the results of these evaluations for the 36 cotton genotypes grown at the PBl site