The Cottonscope technology has been successfully transferred to BSC Electronics and into

their company Cottonscope P/L. Comparison of Cottonscope test results with reference

cross-section test data show good, clear relationships. To date Cottonscope instruments are

located at CMSE Belmont, CPI Narrabri, the USDA ARS SRRC New Orleans LA, Texas

Tech University Lubbock TX and Dai Chinig Textiles Ltd. , Guangdong (owned by Central

Textiles Hong Kong)

The next two years will be important in terms of extending and marketing the instrument, and

testing iterations expected in the software, sample preparation procedures and linkages with

other test instruments, e. g. HVl, and quality prediction systems, eg. Cottonspec

In September 2011 agents of BSC Electronics will exhibit Cottonscope at the Barcelona

ITMA. In February 2012, the instrument will be displayed by CSIRO at the Australian

Cotton Seminar in Chongqing, China. To this end, CSIRO have submitted a PRP to the

CRDC for funding to support Cottonscope in 20/2/13.

Farmers in Australia apply between 80 and 200 kg N ba-1 to cotton, but only part of this nitrogen is taken up and used by the crop, and the remainder is lost :from the plantsoil system. Our work at Narrabri with 15N labelled fertilizer has shown that the lost nitrogen is emitted to the atmosphere as a result of biological denitrification, and that the losses can be considerable (up to 92% of the amount applied). In this paper we have been asked to address the following: (i) occurrence of denitrifieation (ii) the risks of denitrification, (iii) practices to reduce denitrification, and (iv) current research on this topic. Before discussing these issues we briefly describe the denitrification process so that the reader fully understands the nature of the problem and the discussion that follows.

The health status of male farmers in Australia, especially injury related is worse than their urban peers. Non-intentional injury on Australian farms results in around 150 deaths, 6,500 hospital admissions, and 6,000 workers compensation claim each year. In addition, there are between 20 and 70 presentations to hospital emergency departments for farm injury per 100 farms. The current cost of farm injury in Australia is thought to be between $0.5 and $1.29 billion per annum. A contributing factor to farms, as a workplace and a home, is that injury is attributed to all ages. inparticular, children and older adults are at risk of injury on farms.

Injury Prevention 2001 offers a wonderful opportunity for researchers, policy makers, practitioners, industry, and farmers with a particular interest in rural injury to come together. Injury Prevention 2001 provides an opportunity for RIRDC, as a major stakeholder in injury prevention in the agriculture, the opportunity to strengthen and develop its identity in the rural workplace health and safety sector.

In the arid and semi-arid regions of the world, irrigation has enabled previously unarable tracts of land to be used for a wide variety of agricultural activities. Unfortunately many of these areas have associated with them stores of soluble salts which, with time and rising water tables, accumulate in the surface of soil profiles causing widespread, crop-damaging salinisation and waterlogging. In such areas where irrigation is considered appropriate, baseline data is required to monitor the changes in the water balance and salt status of the soil profiles. In this note the current methods available for salinity investigations are discussed as well as geostatistical methods which can assist in the collection and interpretation of the data collected. Using these techniques the results of recent exploratory investigations of salinity in the lower Namoi valley are presented.

The silver leaf white fly (Bemisia tabaci B type) is a world-wide pest on many crops, with a particular appetite for cotton.

Although the SLW has reached pest status in the horticultural industries of the Northern Territory and Queensland, the cotton industry in Australia is not affected by the silverleaf whitefly. However, the presence of this pest in Australia's cotton growing areas and the current worldwide problems associated with SLW management, has presented the industry with a potential disaster.

Is it a matter of time as for other countries? Is Australia's climate suitable? Is cotton

a good host? Are competition and predation our saving grace? These and more detailed questions need to be addressed. Australian cotton growers and researchers may then play a role in either; keeping the present situation as it is (if the SLW has simply not been able to establish). Or, by not providing the pest with a chance of a foothold ifthe opportunity still awaits.

Outbreaks of SLW in other countries have been studied, and theories have been presented as to the development of its major pest status. Major theories include the effect of climate, reduction in beneficials, poor insecticide management, and changes in fanning practices including the increase in suitable hosts.

Most of these factors we can examine to enable us to identify the risks that would elevate the SLW to a major pest in Australian cotton.

This project aim was to achieve a more resilient and competitive cotton farming system through increasing the understanding and awareness of the benefits and disadvantages which may be associated with different row configurations, and the practices that help to optimise siphon irrigation systems. Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association (GVIA) co-ordinated part 2 of the Grower Led Research into Irrigation Efficiency; Optimised Furrow Irrigation Row Configuration Trial during the 2014-2015 season. The trial was established at two locations in the Gwydir Valley, Keytah and Auscott Watervale.

This part of the GVIA1302 project was designed to investigate water-use efficiency optimisation techniques of the siphon or furrow irrigation system which is the standard industry practice. The trial investigated the relative yield potential of different row configurations under optimal irrigation conditions. The information from the trials will enhance the understanding of the potential of each of these row configurations to produce under optimal water, which will be beneficial in times of limited water.

The objectives were to investigate water-use efficiency optimisation techniques of siphon irrigation under different row configurations. The row configurations assessed in the trials included the standard 40inch (1m), as well as areas of 30inch (75cm), 60inch (150cm) and 80inch (200cm). The project evaluated the trial in terms of yield and applied irrigation water relative to the standard 40inch row configuration.

Through the project the GVIA was able to collect data which increased the level of understanding of the benefits and possible disadvantages associated with different row configurations under siphon irrigation. The trial suggested that the yield reduction from a fully watered 60inch spacing would be around 20 percent, but would use between six and 18 percent less water. While the 80inch cotton would be expected to yield 35 to 37 percent less than the 40inch spacing, and use 15 to 22 percent less water. The results from the 30inch spacing are encouraging. They suggest that three percent less water would be used and that there may be possible yield advantages over 40inch.

The Australian cotton industry is cominttted to developing and improving its competitiveness, profitability and sustainability that ultimately leads to econointc development and job creation in rural and regional Australia. The Australian Cotton Exhibition Centre showcases this story and contributes to the achievement of this goal.

The Australian Cotton Exhibition Centre (ACEC Ltd), trading as the Australian Cotton Centre, was officially opened by the Hon. John Anderson MP on July 19 , 2002. The Centre delivers key industry messages though interactive, informative and fun exhibits developed and constructed by Questacon, the National Science & Technology Centre. The Centre is open 7 days a week.

The Centre's mission is to become a valuable information and educational resource centre for the national cotton industry and simultaneously create regional economic development and job creation through tourism.

Its objective to promote the Australian Cotton industry using informative, educational and entertaining exhibits produced by the world renown Questacon will contribute significantly to the broader community having a greater understanding of the industry and its achievements.

Funding from the Cotton Research and Development was used for the Wheel of Life and Better Breeding exhibits.The Wheel of Life exhibit allows the visitor to investigate the Helicoverpa spp life cycle and correspond farm management practices. The Better Breeding exhibit gets the visitor to experiment with crossing cotton plant varieties to produce a high yielding, high tolerance to insect pressure, thin leaved variety. The information provided in these 'hands-on' exhibits reflect the

significant role that research has played since the commencement of the industry in the 1960s. These achievements need to be communicated to the general public and each exhibit achieves this, without technical jargon and utilizing novel delivery mechanisms.

An educational pack has also been developed. It identifies links with the curriculum and includes student worksheets specifically developed to link the information found within the exhibits to the education curriculum needs.

The Federal Government priorities include "the need to promote and develop competitive, profitable and sustainable Australian agriculture, food, fisheries and forest industries which promote economic development and job creation,

particularly in rural and regional Australia. CRDC's contribution to the ACEC is an example of the Corporation addressing this priority.

The offering of diagnostic services in the determination of species identification and Trichogramma parasitism in Helicoverpa eggs provided submitters with valuable insight into the distribution and prevalence of H. armigera and H. punctigera activity as well as the levels of Trichogramma activity in these populations of Helicoverpa.

The data collected on species composition showed a general trend in species composition showing Helicoverpa punctigera prominent early in the season (95% H. punctigera, 4% H. armigera and 1% H. punctifera) and remaining so until late November where Helicoverpa armigera became more prominent. Several collections from the Darling Downs however showed very high levels of H. punctigera (87%) as late as January. The most notable change in species composition in this study compared with other of previous years and project (UQ34C) is the presentation of an additional (putative) species H. punctifera. Data collected on levels of parasitism early in the season showed zero to very low (2%) levels of Trichogramma parasitism. These rates of parasitism rose very slowly over the months before Christmas, peaking in January at around 40% before then falling sharply presumably due to cultural regimens in cotton from which most collections were made. Almost all Trichogramma found were Trichogramma pretiosum. Rates of Trichogramma australicum were found to be 1%-2% on the Darling Downs only.

The project has clearly demonstrated that DNA based diagnostics are viable tools for helping in the control of Helicoverpa in a sustainable economic manner. Diagnostic turnaround times are currently within the timeframes needed for accurate decision making when choosing best practice strategies for control and can deliver this information in a very cost effective way. These assays are now sufficiently robust that they can be performed by non-expertise in a simple laboratory or even a kitchen with a few inexpensive equipment items. It is the recommendation of this research team that that these assays should be regionalised. This will improve further the speed of turn around of collection to information by significantly shortening the sample transit times.

Cotton wax is essential for the efficient processing of cotton fibre into spun yarn. It provides a lubricating layer that reduces fibre-to-metal friction and therefore fibre breakage during mechanical processing. The downside is that this layer also acts as an impermeable barrier to the entry of water and dye molecules into the fibre. For successful, even dyeing - this barrier must be removed by scouring and/or bleaching.During the early 1990s, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) commissioned fibre-to-fabric trials to examine the effect of plant variety upon spinning ability, yarn properties and dye uptake variability. While the trials found that variation in dye uptake was due predominantly to a combination of fibre maturity and fineness (linear density), which are largely environmental effects, it was strongly suspected that the cotton wax on some varieties had an effect upon dye uptake, due to the wax on some varieties being more difficult to remove than others.

The issue of the wax content of Australian cottons has been raised in more recent times by local and international dyers and finishers alike, and from spinners of Australian cotton who sell yarn into knitting markets. It's a particularly vexing issue, especially as it relates to how the wax levels of varying Australian cotton plants contribute to dye uptake variability - most notably in fabrics that undergo limited preparation before dyeing.

The costs to dyers and finishers can be counted in terms of product claims, e.g., fabric returned from a customer due to uneven dyeing, and/or the cost of implementing costly scour procedures before bleaching to ensure the removal of wax and consistent dye uptake is achieved.

Transgenic (Bt) cotton varieties provide a substantial basis for economically and environmentally sustainable insect pest management within the Australian cotton industry. The introduction of Bt cotton has significantly reduced pesticide use for the control of key pests such as Helicoverpa spp. and encouraged a greater emphasis on the management of beneficial invertebrates in pest control. A major risk now facing the cotton industry, from a pest management perspective, is the development within H. armigera of resistance to Bt. As a result, mandatory requirements are placed on growers of Bt cotton to provide refuge crops (no Bt exposure) as sources of susceptible moths that will mate with any potentially resistant moths arising from the Bt crops – thus swamping resistance development. Various refuge crops are available as options (pigeon pea, maize, sorghum, conventional cotton). To properly evaluate the utility of such refuges, we need improved knowledge of the degree to which moths generated by them and those emerging from Bt crops effectively mate. A core assumption of the current Bt Resistance Management Plan for Bt cotton is that moths from different crop origins mate at random. Using carbon isotope signatures characteristic of C3 and C4 plants (e.g. cotton and pigeon pea cf maize and sorghum), this project demonstrated that mixed matings of Helicoverpa moths from such different plant host origins can be common on the landscape, but the assumption of random mating in such instances may not strictly be true. More research is planned to further confirm these conclusions.

This project also continued monitoring of long-term (and seasonal) changes in Helicoverpa abundance in cotton growing regions through networks of pheromone trapping in the Namoi Valley and St George / Dirranbandi regions that began prior to the introduction of Bt cotton. The pheromone trap catches for H. armigera in the Namoi Valley suggested this species has increased in abundance (at landscape scale), especially late in the cotton growing season, since the advent of Bt cotton. The mechanisms driving such change are not understood, but could be related to reductions in pesticide use and / or concurrent variations in the use of other crops on the landscape that are attractive to the moth. The abundance of H. punctigera has also increased in the last few years. Spring surveys of crops, weeds and native vegetation showed promise as early warning indicators of the forthcoming seasonal bias in Helicoverpa spp. in cotton crops.

Concurrent with our work on Helicoverpa, we opportunistically gathered data on the abundance of secondary cotton pests and beneficial invertebrates within refuge crops and their associated Bt cotton crops. Refuge crops (especially pigeon pea crops which were the focus of much of the work done in this project) supported substantial populations of mirids and predatory beetles and bugs. The balance of effect of such pests and beneficial species for cotton production needs further study with respect to movements to cotton crops and the hindrances beneficial species may provide to effective Helicoverpa production within refuges.

In addition, we explored the potential of jasmonic acid, a chemical involved in plant response to herbivore damage, to act as an attractant for beneficial invertebrates in cotton crops. Such responses have been suggested by overseas research. Identification of attractants for beneficial species could provide useful tools to enhance IPM in Australian cotton systems. However, jasmonic acid failed to influence aggregative behaviour of beneficial invertebrates in trials we conducted in conventional cotton fields.