Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans get from the environment. Many ecosystem services are relevant to cotton production (e.g. natural pest control, bioremediation of residues, water filtration, spray drift mitigation, prevention of weed invasions and erosion control) as outlined by Reid et al. (2003). Ecosystem services generated on cotton farms also benefit the wider community and as such, attract incentive payments for growers that can supply them (e.g. environmental stewardship payments from the Australian Government) or are tradable assets (e.g. carbon sequestration). Ecosystem services generated by native vegetation on cotton farms therefore have the potential to contribute to farm profits. Currently, many growers are unaware of the potential value of their on-farm native vegetation and those that are aware, may lack the knowledge or skills to determine the condition of their vegetation or manage it for different outcomes.

This project will quantify some of the key services generated by native vegetation on cotton farms, calculate the value of different vegetation communities for ecosystem service provision and determine the impact of management on service provision. Sites will be established in vegetation types common on cotton farms across inland eastern Australia (from Emerald in the north to the Murrumbidgee in the south) to target three services: carbon storage, erosion mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Data collected on the three services will form the basis of spreadsheet calculators that growers can interrogate to discover the value of their vegetation for service provision after accounting for vegetation condition and management. The calculators will be linked to MyBMP and on-ground support from Catchment Management Authorities will be sought to ensure the greatest exposure of the project and promote uptake of the research. This project will develop the tools to encourage an innovative approach to environmental stewardship in the cotton industry.

Over the past 25 years soil carbon sequestration has been assessed in many experiments. In most, sequestration has been negative even when conservation farming practices such as crop rotation, stubble retention and minimum tillage were implemented. Recently Kirkby et al. (2013) suggested that a fixed ratio of nutrients (“stoichiometric ratio”) must be present for atmospheric carbon to be sequestered. Intensive agriculture may alter the pools of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Sulphur (S) by addition of fertilizers, soil erosion, nutrient export and management of plant residues. This project will determine the long term C:N:P:S ratios of soil in some cotton farming systems.

Archived soil samples from the rotation/tillage experiments conducted by the Cotton CRC in the Namoi and Macquarie Valleys, Darling Downs and Emerald between 1993 and 2014 will be used to determine C:N:P:S ratios at selected time points with LECO analyses. The influence of these ratios on soil carbon sequestration rates will be assessed. Further, the relationship between theses stoichiometric ratios and cotton productivity will be assessed from yield data during the selected years of investigation.

The project will be carried out at ACRI and ANU. This project will build capacity and develop linkages among NSW DPI, CRDC and the ANU

The Australian cotton industry invests significantly through CRDC into leadership development programs. This has created an upswell of engaged leaders, contributing in different forums, organisations, committees, and communities to the advancement of the cotton industry as a whole.

The cotton industry has a strong reputation amongst its graduate participants for being progressive, encouraging, inclusive, and dynamic. This bodes well for future recruitment to the sector as well as encouraging stewardship and leadership within it. While the leadership program offerings are extensive, there remains a few critical leadership capacity gaps - as outlined by this review of CRDC's investment in leadership programs, which aims to guide future investment.

The Spring edition of CRDC's magazine, Spotlight, puts soil and nutrition under the microscope in the lead up to planting. We look at novel measures using satellite telemetry to measure nitrogen status in crops, and how long-term CRDC research is tracking changes in salinity in the south. We also look at research undertaken of floodplain soils, and the role they have in deep drainage.

Also in this issue, we take a look at the new era in cotton as Bollgard 3 becomes commercially available. Integral to the success of this new technology is the Resistance Management Plan (RMP): we highlight the process involved in putting the RMP together, and the role that good refuges play in keeping resistance at bay. We also outline CRDC's new five-year project into dryland farming systems, which is focused on assisting growers to take advanced of the introduction of Bollgard 3.

The 2015-16 Cotton Growing Practices survey was conducted by Roth Rural on behalf of CRDC. It gathers valuable information about cotton farming practices to give a greater understanding of the industry’s current practices and performance in relation to a number of key areas for the 2015-16 cotton crop, and so that trends can be monitored over time. This survey particularly focused on seasonal management, managing limited water, replant and damaged cotton and mining exploration wells. Information was also gathered about research priorities and grower perceptions of research and CRDC.

In this project the performance of 40 centre pivot and lateral move overhead irrigation systems will be continuously monitored throughout the 2014-15 cropping year to ascertain the performance of the systems and collect data to establish the water use productivity and energy use of these systems within the Queensland Murray Darling Basin. The Gross Production Water Use Index and Irrigation Water Use Index for a range of crops (cotton, winter cereals, summer grains, annual forages) will be determined, along with the establishment of energy benchmarks. Participating irrigators will be provided with recommendations on how to improve system performance where necessary.

The results for the 2014-15 year will complete a five year longitudinal study which provides benchmarks on the performance of these systems across a range of season types and crops. This information can be used by irrigators to assess the cost:benefit of investing in overhead irrigation systems.

The introduction of transgenic cotton within the cotton industry has allowed for increased yields due to

decreased losses from insect activities. The main pests which have been targeted through the genetic

modification are Helicoverpa punctigera and Helicoverpa armigera. The reduction in the presence of these

two species could have several ecological implications, including an increase in other lepidopteran species

more tolerant to Bt toxins that were previously suppressed by Helicoverpa spp. The results presented in this

report are part of a Masters thesis which will look at the moth communities in Bt cotton and its refuges over

four seasons. The results presented here focus on the 2015/16 season. During this season low numbers of

moths were caught, which matched the low numbers of Helicoverpa caught in the same traps. There was no

difference in the Lepidopteran communities between crops, and in particular Bt and non-Bt cotton. This was

probably due to the low sample sizes, and may also reflect a finding in other cotton communities, that

differences in Bt and non-Bt cotton communities are only found when there is high Helicoverpa pressure.

There was a difference in the number of moths found in pigeon pea and cotton, with more moths found in

cotton in January, and more moths were found in pigeon pea in February. This may reflect the phenology of

the crops where cotton is flowering and probably more attractive in January than February, while pigeon pea

tends to remain attractive and flowering later in the season.

Represention of CRDC role as the Co-Ordinator of the 2015/16 AES School based trainees programme.

Represent the CRDC role and industry at the Primary Industry Health & Safety Partnership Teleconferences and at the National Farmsafe Conference, October, 2014.

The broad aim of the ‘UNE/CRDC Cotton Course’ has been to provide students with the necessary scientific and practical skills for sustainable cotton production. The units are designed with industry consultation for those people already in the cotton industry and for those wishing to enter the industry. Students learn how the cotton crop grows, how to manage the crop and the factors that affect the sustainability of cotton production in Australia. Assessment is by a combination of assignments, involvement in a residential practical school (one 3-4 day school per unit) and an examination. The type and weighting of assessments varies in each unit.

The ‘Cotton Production Course’ is made up of the following units.

• Applied Cotton Production

• Cotton Protection

• Cotton and the Environment

• Cotton Farming Systems

These units can be studied flexibly at undergraduate or postgraduate level. Students receive the same set of notes and presentations from industry experts and only differ in the required workload and level of assessment.

Brendan Griffiths has held the role of lecturer of the Cotton Course at UNE for the duration of this project. Brendan has spent nearly twenty five years working as a field agronomist, researcher, and consultant in the cotton industry and has also worked in both agribusiness and manufacturing sectors. Brendan has spent the past fifteen years operating a private consultancy business based in Goondiwindi, Queensland and is in the latter part of a PhD in irrigated agriculture.

It is through Brendan’s experience and industry linkages, as well as modern teaching technology, that new ideas have been brought to both the delivery and content of the Cotton Course. Collaboration with industry researchers and others, in writing and reviewing notes and giving presentations to students, will ensure continual relevance and a process of improvement. Over the three teaching years we have made significant changes to the cotton production course’ teaching material, a process that is ongoing. We have included topical issues facing the cotton industry, such as carbon and climate change, natural resource management, and water reform, as well as updating material with respect to plant nutrition and changes in current agronomic practices.

Verticillium wilt of cotton is caused by a fungus (Verticillium dahliae) that infects the host plant via the roots and colonises the vascular system. Symptoms therefore include a brown discoloration of the vascular tissue within the stem, branches and petioles and a yellowing and death of leaf tissue especially between the veins. The pathogen survives the intercrop period in association with infected crop debris or susceptible weed hosts. Verticillium wilt is favoured by cool soil conditions and symptoms are therefore most obvious in late spring and autumn. Yields may be reduced by up to 25% in seasons when environmental conditions favour the disease.