In 2000/01, the Australian cotton industry produced approximately 3.4 million bales with a gross estimated value of 1.7 billion dollars. Although cotton production in Australia is efficient, diseases, such as Fusarium wilt, are causing severe production losses. Unfortunately, the incidence of fusarium wilt in Australia has been increasing since it was identified in NSW daring the 93/94 season (Kochman, 1995). The disease is now present in many commercial cotton fields in NSW and Queensland. Although the resistance of elite Australian cotton cultivars is improving steadily, increasing the Fusarium wilt resistance of cotton cultivars remains a priority. While Australian cotton breeders are actively trying to enhance resistance to Fusarium wilt in their current breeding materials, they are also searching for novel sources of resistance genes. One possible source of new gales may be the native Australian Gossypium species, that are distant relatives of the cultivated cottons.