The 2011 grower survey was done for the Cotton CRC and the Cotton Research & Development Corporation. The survey looked into features of cotton properties, farming practices in the 2010-11 season and the use of information and research. 183 growers from a randomly selected sample participated, 167 of these were irrigators and 90 of these were groundwater users

Field experiments stocking varying, densities of H. armigera revealed, several differences between pigeon, pea and non-Bt cotton refuges., Survival of Helicoverpa eggs was, higher in cotton, while survival of, larvae and production of moths was, higher in pigeon pea.

Since the introduction of transgenic cotton in 1996 a robust resistance management plan (RMP) has been in place which works in consort with an insecticide resistance management strategy (IRMS). A key element to the success of this strategy is that insecticidal agents that are deployed together (in stacked Bt varieties) or sequentially (in chemical rotations) are sufficiently different to make it unlikely that resistance to one insecticide will confer cross resistance to other insecticidal products.

This study aimed to develop new refuge crop options to improve efficacy and provide more choice.

Rising diesel and electricity costs are well known to producers. The cost of energy is predicted to rise significantly into the longer term. This CRDC industry project is investigating alternative energy sources now to put the Australian cotton industry in a better position to deal with these challenges. The project is assessing current commercial energy alternatives (including biodiesel and CSG) as well as investigating new fuel sources, mixtures and technologies for tractors and pumping

Australian cotton has global demand and appeal and is considered to be of good quality and reliable in supply. On-farm research driven productivity improvements have contributed to a higher quality product but the increased quality appears unable to attract a price premium. End users of cotton are using sustainability related indices more and more to evaluate products, though it is unclear whether they are willing to pay a commensurate premium. Australian cotton farmers have already been developing sustainable farming practices as part of the myBMP system. The expectation is that this information can be used along the cotton supply chain to signal the added value of the cotton product to help create improved competitive advantage for Australian cotton. This joint CRDC-UTS project has been established to further develop the myBMP system and to re-position the cotton supply chain to enable the creation of this new competitive advantage. The project will run for three years from June 2011 to June 2014.

Cottonspec, a spinning prediction software, has proven a useful management tool, giving spinners immediate feedback on the fibre quality they use. The program gives excellent predictions of yarn quality. Cottonspec has also been used to demonstrate the value of new varieties of long staple cotton produced by Australian growers. Cottonspec has the capacity to improve the classification of Australian cotton by linking cotton fibre quality with yarn quality with theoretical modelling. The prediction algorithms favour long, strong, bright cotton, i.e. play on Australian cotton fibre strengths, and will utilize Australian test methods for fibre fineness and maturity, which will give the yarn quality models more prediction power. The package can be used by spinners to select the most suitable cottons, which best meet the spinner's needs, or as a quality control tool to benchmark performance against "best commercial practice". Cottonspec can also be used as a trading tool for merchants to promote the value of a particular growth, or used by cotton researchers and grower collectives to assess and promote new cotton varieties

New weed species and resistance problems in 2012 are the ecosystem's response to our substantial changes in agronomy and weed management over the last two decades. Fleabane and feathertop Rhodes grass require targeted strategies for long-term control, and glyphosate resistance can be delayed or managed with a robust strategy. In all these cases, integrated use of pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides, tillage and crop rotation is required, and results in a 'patchwork' approach to long-term sustainability of weed management. Simple systems, as we're observing right now, invite a confounding response from the weed flora, so more diverse and complex strategies will be needed in the future

As part of the cotton industry sustainability understanding it is necessary to understand social indicators of the industry's human resources. An analysis was undertaken of the raw data from the Crop Consultant's Australia survey of its membership after the 2010-11 cotton season. Thirty two crop consultants provided responses.

Wee Waa based businesses are highly dependent (82%) on agriculture and irrigation water availability. Cotton accounts for over half of their business income (51%). * Business turnover has increased significantly (77%) with increased irrigation water supplies during 2012, but employment levels in small business have not. One third of businesses in the main street have changed ownership since the worst of the drought in 2008. * Staff recruitment, especially skilled labour, is one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses as employment levels slowly increase with better water availability. * Drought caused significant social and community impacts due to the reduction in population * There is a high degree of social and economic interdependence of Wee Waa businesses, surrounding farms and community services. They all depend on each other. * There is a currently a changing socio demographic in Wee Waa due to rising housing costs in Narrabri associated with the expanding minerals industries. Housing is now in short supply in Wee Waa, which is the complete opposite situation being experienced during the drought