CRDC's Annual Operational Plan for 2017-18 (AOP): the fifth (and final) annual operational plan under the CRDC's Strategic R&D Plan 2013-18.

Principal Researchers: Dr M. Bange, Ms. S Deutscher, Mr D. Linsley, Mr S. Johnston, Mr. D. Richards, Ms. L. Thakur, Ms L. Clancy

Cotton growers continue to face increasing pressure to manage resources more cost effectively and to be more accountable for the impact their decisions have on the surrounding environment. In addition to this there are significant changes in technology such as new transgenics (Bollgard II and Roundup Flex) and an increasing need to improve fibre quality and water use efficiency. There was a dedicated commitment by research organisations in the industry (CSIRO, CRDC and Cotton CRC) to develop tools and techniques for decision making from the best information available from research to help all sectors of the industry to meet crop production, social and environmental imperatives. The CSIRO Cotton Management Support Systems team based in Narrabri has evolved to meet these challenges. The team’s mission is to develop, validate and deliver to the cotton industry up-to-date and scientifically grounded decision tools and extension information packages that are accepted as the benchmark for improving the profitability and sustainability of cotton production.

This two year project combined two projects previously supported by the CRDC and one by the Cotton CRC that contributed to the development of decision tools for the cotton industry. This project alone was the principle project that supported the cotton industry’s investment in decision support development. Successful achievements included:

• Delivery of an operational plan for decision support development.

• Prototypes of CottonLOGIC and EntomoLOGIC were developed to meet future needs of the industry.

• HydroLOGIC was upgraded to provide greater reporting flexibility.

• NutriLOGIC was enhanced to included a greater range of nutrients and improve useability.

• A diapause and moth emergence calculator was developed.

• The Crop Development Tool was upgraded to include vegetative growth rate for assisting with growth regulant decisions. Its useability was also improved.

• A water quality calculator to estimate the impacts of water quality on crop growth was delivered.

• ‘CottBASE’ a database of pre-run simulations of the OZCOT model was developed.

• Members of this project team assisted in developing the technical specifications of the new Cotton Catchment Communities CRC’s website.

• An industry advisory committee was facilitated.

• Training and support for the decision tools was provided.

• Web statistics showed significant adoption and use of these tools during the course of the cotton season.

There is consensus both locally and internationally that the measurement of cotton grade i.e., colour, trash and grade, by the traditional subjective classing should be replaced with objective measurements by high volume instrumentation (HVI). There are however, a number of technical and operating issues to overcome before objective measurement of fibre properties is accepted with confidence by the cotton trade.

One measure is to allow the classing sector to be assessed independently via rigorous round-robin trials so that individual classing houses can correct technical and operational shortcomings in their HVI practice. In this way the industry as a whole can work towards a better prediction of Australian classing grade by HVI measurement.

To this end the Cotton Classers Association of Australia (CCAA) has decided to conduct formilised round-robin trials with the results analysed and interpreted by CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology. The aim of the trials is to identify and remedy any significant differences in colour and trash between classing houses and HVI lines (types).

An initial round-robin trial (Appendix 1) was conducted during August 2004 and involved five classing houses and a research institute. Nineteen HVI lines and 250 samples were tested on the basis of colour only. This trial found significant differences between classing houses rather than between HVI types.

The CCAA decided to conduct a follow up round-robin trial incorporating formal checks on HVI operating software and calibration procedure by anUster technician and with the inclusion of HVI trash measurements.

The results of this trial are reported here.

This project initially set out to advance the industries capacity to manage water quality through the development of constructed wetlands. Background knowledge included positive results regarding increases in biodiversity and improvement in water quality from pilot-scale wetlands. However, it was identified that the predominant concern of the industry was water availability because of dryer than average climates. Additionally, it was established that irrigators were more interested in whether or not the quality of their tailwater actually required improvement, but had no straightforward methods to attain this insight.As a result this project developed a simple water quality test kit to analyse irrigation water. In a pilot study, 20 water quality test kits and protocols were distributed within the industry, including some properties growing crops other than cotton. Key water quality parameters including, turbidity, temperature, EC, pH, carbonate hardness, total hardness and nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, phosphate and chloride ion concentrations were recorded during irrigations.Although the feedback from participants was positive, the amount of data returned was not sufficient to enable a full analysis of water quality. We expect that reduced on-farm staffing levels, as a consequence of very limited water availability, were too restrictive to allow sufficient resources to be made available for the trial.Analysis of preliminary results indicated that at least 15 to 30 % of nitrogen was lost to the tailwater systems as nitrate. This indicates that significant economic gain can be made through improving the efficiency of nutrient use. The main benefit of the water quality kits was that they provided a quantitative approach for environmental management. Site-specific water quality measurements could be collected that were directly related to local practice. Any change in practice, that affects nutrient use efficiency, could be assessed, thereby informing and quantifying environmental management systems such as BMF. Economic value of improvement in practice can be readily determined from tailwater quality data thereby providing further impetus for improvements.The water quality tests provide the cotton and irrigation industry with a simple tool to seek, measure and record economic and environmental improvement.

Two ambitious objectives were set for this project. The first objective was to design and build a moisture measuring sensor without the operational shortcomings of current sensors and the connection of this sensor with a moisture replenishing system. The second, unrelated to moisture management, but no less important in terms of fibre quality preservation, was to design and build a sensor to detect contamination in loose fibre linked with a system to remove detected contamination from transport ducting. Both objectives are aligned with the industry's strategy of maintaining and improving fibre quality.Moisture sensorThe moisture sensor was built and successfully tested in industry. Test results show the sensor gives stable, accurate results that can be used to manage heating and humidification in the gin. Results from the sensor were used to model a gin heating/humidifying control system. The model showed the system could improve fibre quality and return significant savings in energy to ginners. Applications for the moisture sensor patent in various countries are currently being made. Commercial interest in the sensor to date has been circumspect; Cotton Incorporated has indicated interest, along with Samuel Jackson (Lubbock TX). More representation to industry is needed to establish the benefits of this invention. Contamination sensorDuring this project a proof-of-concept contamination sensor was designed, built and tested at CSIRO. Components of the sensor include balanced illumination using visible light, a high speed colour line-scan camera and image analysis software. No extraction points for contaminants were developed as this is already a mature technology implemented in commercial systems for spinning mills. The components for this system were selected after review of a wide range of applicable technologies. Work is continuing with the Australian ginning industry and Loptex Italia on development and installation of contamination sensors for Australian gins.

The Cotton CRC, Namoi CMA and cotton growers contributed in excess of$2 million to achieve significant NRM on-ground outcomes in line with the Namoi CMA Catchment Action Plan. the contributions from cotton growers account for over half of this

Final Report Community action fund boys on the move

The hydrogeology of the Lachlan Catchment has been studied by numerous authors over the past 40 years, but there are still many gaps in our understanding of the groundwater systems and river-aquifer interactions. These shortfalls in our knowledge limit our capacity to manage water resources throughout the catchment. This document captures our current understanding of the hydrogeology of the catchment and provides a multidimensional spatial analysis of the groundwater monitoring bore standing water level (SWL) data. Based on the findings, recommendations for further research are presented

This report outlines the results of surveys conducted by Cotton Consultants Australia (CCA) of their membership and cotton growers from across the production valleys in eastern Australia.

Black root rot is a recognised threat to the cotton industry, yet current management strategies are insufficient for disease control. Thus, further research is required in order to develop new strategies to reduce the impact of the disease on the cotton industry. To achieve this, we must first gain understanding of the steps crucial for completing the life cycle of the pathogen, T. basicola, to be able to control the disease in a sustainable manner, i.e. with reduced input, increased profit and reduced negative environmental impact.Understanding the interactions between the pathogen and the plant requires a multidiscipline study involving collaborations among scientists expert in research fields such as microbiology, plant biology, soil biology, fungal genetics, molecular biology and agronomy. It is extremely important to train and educate students in these fields towards understanding plant disease and its management.The summer student Ms Anna Balzer, got intensive training in molecular biology and microbiology, particularly in handling the fungal pathogen T. basicola, and in conducting pathogenicity assays to assess black root rot in cotton. She also conducted assays to examine pathogenicity-related properties in T. basicola, to further our understanding of factors involved in its virulence towards plants. One of the highlights from the results is the optimisation of a minimal growth medium for the fungus, which will facilitate further studies of pathogenicity related traits of T. basicola.