Management of insect and mite pests attacking cotton crops relies heavily on the use of insecticides.

This paper considers some recent research on mirids, in particular thresholds, sampling and control of the green mirid.

Agriculture is now recognised to be among the highest risk industry groups for occupational injury and disease.

The aim of the project outlined here is to try and develop the SOLICON techniques that are already being used by soil researchers in order to find a practical technique available to cotton consultants or agronomists (

Insects in cotton fields form a diverse and volatile community. Room (1979) collected some 500 species of insect (plus spiders) in Australian cotton fields. Some (the ones we notice most) are pests.

One of the few aspects of our industry that is controllable is injury to people.

Various parasitoids of heliothis have been considered in integrated pest management programs throughout the world.

In common with about 80% of all plants, cotton forms VAM (vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas). VAM are associations of soil-borne fungi with the roots of plants.

The HEAPS (HE.licoverpa d.rmigera and l!.imctigera Simulation) model embodies all of our current knowledge on the ecology of Helicoverpa within cotton cropping regions.

Having previously identified poor N recovery as largely a denitrification problem, research began to investigate means of reducing N loss.

Various parasitoids are active on cotton crops from early seedling growth right through to defoliation.

During the 1970s and 1980s organophosphates (OPs), particularly monocrotophos (first tested 1969-70, registered 1972-73) and profenofos (first tested 1973-74, registered 1978-79), were the mainstay of mite control for

We have conducted in field experiments for the past two years to develop a food product that can be used to attract, conserve and augment natural enemies especially predatory insects in cotton fields and utilized them

The residual action of nine insecticides commonly used in cotton were assessed on the survival of the native egg parasitoid Trichogramma funiculatum by exposing adult wasps to sprayed cotton leaves 1, 3, 5, 7, 1 O and

During the past two seasons, cotton crops growing in Queensland have been surveyed for diseases. In March 1993 specimens of wilted cotton were collected from the Brookstead area of the Darling Downs.

The overall aim of the project is to examine the response of cotton to Pix (mepiquat chloride) under different growth rates in the Macquarie Valley.

A great proportion of the Helicoverpa eggs laid onto cotton never hatch. They are either eaten by predators, dislodged from the plant by wind and rain, killed by climatic extremes, or are infertile.

HOW IT RELATES TO THE CONCEPT OF BEST PRACTICE, WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF THE TOP PERFORMERS

From a humanised viewpoint cotton may be thought of as a lazy plant. It "employs" microscopic fungi to do some of the hard work of collecting nutrients from the soil.

Pix is now in common use to manage vegetative growth of cotton in Australia. I presented a paper at the 1992 ACGRA Conference detailing how to evaluate potential responses to Pix.