Financial performance benchmarking studies have identified increasing fertiliser input costs in the cotton industry. Farm profitability has been eroded as a result of an emerging trend by cotton growers to apply high rates of nitrogen fertiliser. Many growers believe 300+ kgN is required to grow the latest commercially available cotton varieties and achieve potential yields of 14-15 bales per hectare.

Further research is required to validate these claims that high nitrogen (N) fertiliser inputs are necessary to achieve high yields. High N inputs may in fact be the product of poor nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) where a significant proportion of the N applied is either lost through denitrification, volatilisation, run-off or leaching processes, or simply not utilised.

This project will collaborate with other nitrogen related research projects to build a comprehensive understanding of nitrogen loss pathways in cotton farming systems. The research will focus on the impact of various irrigation and nitrogen (N) application strategies on N uptake, nitrogen use efficiency, fibre quality and yield.

Trial results will be shared with collaborating researchers to develop irrigation and nitrogen management recommendations to assist growers optimise N fertiliser applications, improve nitrogen use efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve farm profitability.

This project provides the foundation for greater cotton agronomy research and development capacity within NSW DPI.

NSW DPI is committed to establishing a fully funded permanent position at Narrabri and is currently progressing through the recruitment phase. Dependant upon the experience of the successful research officer the project will focus strongly on professional development and building expertise in cotton agronomy by linking in with existing research projects and establishing collaborative relationships.