Verticillium wilt of cotton is caused by a fungus (Verticillium dahliae) that infects the host plant via the roots and colonises the vascular system.

As the Cotton Breeder for Deltapine Australia this presentation will concentrate on the breeding program and aim to cover the following *The performance of Deltapine Varieties in 1991 /92 *The specific factors Deltapi

In the 1991/92 season we started observations in both sprayed and unsprayed plots of different cotton varieties to record the numbers of fruit lost during the season and to identify the causes of shedding.

As a first step in developing a community education program about IPM it was decided to assess the knowledge and perceptions of members of the rural community to the pest management practices.