Cotton Research and Development Corporation is exploring the possibility that a trained sniffer dog may be able to assist in field operations testing for Helicoverpa Armigera pupae.

A water management approach commonly used by cotton growers in the Condamine - Lower Balonne catchment area is to divide farm storages into several cells.

Black rootrot of cotton has been observed in 98 per cent of the farms regularly surveyed by NSW Agriculture in the Macquarie, Namoi, Gwydir and Macintyre valleys.

Cotton planted into stubble has shown many advantages over conventional planting practices, including: reducing soil erosion, reducing pesticide and nutrient movement, and improving soil condition (Waters and Sequeira

Cotton is the most important textile crop due to its cellulose-enriched mature fibres, single celled hairs derived from ovule epidermis at anthesis.

At various times, strong interest develops within the industry for early crop maturity.

Glyphosate is the single most commonly used herbicide applied through shielded sprayers for controlling Post emergent weeds.

Two key hormones, ecdysone and juvenile hormone, control metamorphosis and moulting in insects.

The objective of NFF's trade strategy is to achieve a more profitable international trading environment for Australia's farmers.

Northern Australia has long presented a series of problems in terms of sustainable cotton insect management.

In 2000/01, the Australian cotton industry produced approximately 3.4 million bales with a gross estimated value of 1.7 billion dollars.

Helicoverpa spp remain the most important pest in the Australian cotton industry. They are resistant to most of the insecticides used by the industry.

Stinkbugs have recently re-emerged as an important late season sucking pest complex of cotton in Australia.

As with all post mortems the aim is to work out what happened and why.

The majority of cotton growers in the Australian cotton industry are familiar with an integrated approach to insect pest management.

In the past three years two biological control agents, new to Australia, have been discovered attacking cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii.

In some major producing countries, up to half of the returns to cotton farmers come from government subsidies.

Judging by the media headlines over the past three years, the dominant issues for sustained use of the Murray-Darling Basin's natural resources are sanity and security of water supply under the Cap on diversio

Many Australian cotton growers sow rotation crops after irrigated cotton assuming that they will improve soil quality, reduce pest and disease incidence, and maintain profitability of cotton.

The weed spectrum of many areas in the Australian cotton industry is not well documented.