This research project involved the development and application of crop simulation tools to assist with crop management within the cotton industry. These tools allow risk assessments to be made about crop management decisions, which when combined with on-farm experience aims to maximise crop potential. In addition, by providing extension and research staff and other industry personnel with a simulation capacity through the project, the benefits to industry will be more widespread and gain greater exposure. Irrigated and dryland growers involved during this project have benefited from information generated by simulation technology and refined their crop management strategies. This project had several objectives in the application of crop simulation to the cotton industry.

Exploration of on-farm crop management scenarios using simulation in dryland and irrigated crop production.

One of the keys to developing software tools that generate information that growers and consulstants value, and have a true impact on crop management, has been through collaborative research on-farm. Linking soil sampling, soil characterisation for water holding capacity and the output from OZCOT has been shown to maximise yield potential under a range of growing conditions and seasons. Research in 2001-02 demonstrated the general principles required for modelling in-season for decision making, whilst subsquent research facilitated the development of a focussed tool for irrigation scheduling and water related decision making.

Provision of support to extension staff, researchers and industry personnel in the use of the ‘user-friendly’ OZCOT.

Providing support to industry staff using and related tools has been important to the uptake of these tools and promotion of simulation in cotton. This has involved training in ‘how to drive’ the software and how to interpret the information generated by these tools. This support has been achieved through training workshops held in each cotton growing valley for growers and consultants, and more focssued training for extension staff. Using OZCOT and HydroLOGIC, extension and industry staff have compared topics such as fruiting potential, yield potential under reduced water allocations and strategies to maximize available water.

Maintenance of a simulation capacity and skills within the CRC and cotton industry to enable growers and industry representative to access this technology.

The ability to generate complex crop potential information over a wide number of locations and crop management scenarios has been an important part of this projects success. This capacity has allowed investigation of issues such as sowing date, dryland potential, row spacing, water allocation, and irrigation scheduling. It has involved the application and evaluation of simulation in new areas and novel crop management strategies such as skip-row planted irrigated cotton. Focussed workshops have been conducted on the physiological response of cotton to water stress, the impact of reduced allocations, the implications of timing the first irrigation, and understanding the impact of stretching irrigation deficits during different crop stages.

Training in the to provide a proven framework for adoption.

Research conducted on-farm with growers and consultants allowed the investigation of local crop management issues in greater detail. This objective focussed on providing the appropriate training for this applied research, and methods for extension of information and tools to the cotton industry. Accreditation also aimed to maintain the credibility of the project officer as a trainer for OZCOT and related software. Since enrolling in the accreditation program in July 2001, numerous workshops were attended to assist with the accreditation process. Stage 1 of the scheme was finished in June 2001, and stage 2 was completed in June 2004.