This project was initiated in 1991, following concern expressed by local cotton growers about suspected high insecticide resistance at St George. The performance of synthetic pyrethroids had been inadequate for a number of years, and was getting worse over time. The Balonne Resistance Committee, now the Balonne Cotton Advisory Committee (BCAC), was formed by the St George Cottongrowers Association. This committee, comprising growers and agronomists, requested assistance from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), resulting in the establishment of the St George Heliothis Monitoring Program with CRDC funding

The objective of this project being the purchase of new discs and uninterruptable powersupply to reduce disruption in computer system availability for clients has been fully met

The Computer System Manager at NARS oversees all aspects of the function and services provided by the NARS Computer Facility. This is now a sophisticated system which has been progressively developed over several years

The assassin bug, Pristhesancus plagipennis (Walker) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) is a, natural enemy of bug and larval insects in both orchard and field crops. Several, studies have suggested that P. plagipennis may be suited for inundative release, against pest insects such as Helicoverpa spp. and Creontiades spp. with inundative, releases resulting in reduced populations of these pests in cotton., However, a common challenge with the inundative release of beneficial insects such, as assassin bugs in cotton pest management programs is achieving a viable balance, between predator release rates and biological control efficacy. In this project we, examined the post-release establishment and biological control efficacy of assassin, bug released at rates of and below 1 nymph per metre crop row

Project objectives, The four objectives of this project were; * To characterise the soil types of the lower Lachlan River Valley used for cotton, production. * To ascertain which, if any, soil properties of the main cotton-growing soil types of the, lower Lachlan Valley are currently limiting production. * To determine which, if any, soil properties of the main cotton-growing soil types of the, lower Lachlan Valley will potentially limit production. * To integrate sample site information with additional ancillary information into a lower, Lachlan Valley geological information system (GIS)

During the period May 2001 - June 2002 members of the weeds focus team, headed by the co-ordinating editor Dr Stephen Johnson, have worked to produce WEEDpak. The end result is a multi-faceted publication that includes information on the following components that are needed to achieve integrated weed management in Australian cotton farming systems:- a weed identification guide, * integrated weed management, * herbicide resistance, herbicides and spray guidelines, *roundup ready, *farm hygiene, controlling volunteer cotton and an examination of the interactions of cotton pathogens and insects with weeds, *best bet management guidelines for weeds, * management of problem weeds, * weed management in rotation crops and *appendices on the regional distribution of weeds, a weed species and further reading list with other supporting documents.

This project investigated some basic questions about the ecology of beneficial insects in and around, cotton; namely where they occur, in both time and space, and how much they move around between, vegetation types. There were two complementary parts to this study. The first was a survey of, beneficial insects in cotton and in vegetation types near cotton. The second was examining, beneficials for pollen using scanning electron microscopy. Pollen can be used to trace movement of, insects between different vegetation types. We focussed on six species of insects known to be, predatory on cotton pests: transverse ladybird, Coccinella transversalis, two spotted ladybird,, Diomus notescens, nabid bug, Nabis kinbergii, red and blue beetle, Dicranolaius bellulus, green, lacewing, Mallada signata, and brown lacewing, Micromus tasmaniae. Samples were taken using a, suction sampler, which is a common sampling method used by agronomists and consultants, working in cotton

Sources of beneficial insects colonizing cotton fields

Objectives: Quantify and compare the population densities of beneficial soil faunal groups in commercial irrigated, cotton fields that are managed using conventional, Ingard, and Envirofeast technologies. Determine the feeding links of key soil-dwelling predator species on selected key insect pests of, cotton using direct observational approaches (field, glasshouse or laboratory studies) and, complementary qualitative techniques (screening of predator gut contents using ELISA).,Develop a research sampling protocol for estimating the densities of key soil faunal groups in, commercial irrigated cotton.

Project aims: (1) To develop improved attractants based on plant volatile chemicals, for adult Helicoverpa, spp., especially females. (2) To conduct large-scale field trials of attract-and-kill techniques using female attractants