Most agriculturally important plants, including cotton, are colonised by soilborne fungi known as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The AMF depend on the plant to supply their energy, in the form of sugars.

Silverleaf whitefly (SLW) is an introduced pest to Australia, having first been discovered in the early 1990's.

Fleabane has become one of the most difficult-to-control weeds in dryland cropping systems in recent years, The weed problem is thought to have resulted from recent changes in farming practices toward greater use of z

It is well recognised that Consultants and Agronomists have a key role to play in the dissemination of information generated through research and development.

In the Ord River irrigation Area (ORIA) INGARD' cotton varieties have been grown utilising novel integrated pest management systems (Strickland et al 2003).

With increasing adoption of IPM practices in cotton, green vegetable bugs (GVB) have emerged as important sucking pests causing considerable damage to growing bons (Khan and Bauer 2001, 2002).

New South Wales water catchments are now having their third attempt at managing our natural resources each having come along with its own set of expectations This tells us that we may have the last chance to get Catch

Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusaritim oxysporum f. sp. Vasinfectum (Fov), is a devastating disease in many cotton-producing countries of the world.

Determining the impact of species considered potentially important natural enemies of crop pests is crucial for making robust management decisions as part of an IPM programme (Ives 1980; Johnson et al.

In 1971 Dr HJ Firth wrote - 'the Murray- Darling system, in addition to being the greatest river Basin in the land, is one of the greatest and most complex problems of resource conservation and management.

Cold shock at temperatures below 11C was previously believed to delay cotton development. This paper tested whether exposure to 10C for 10 and 20 nights affected tissue viability.

Temperature plays many important roles in the growth and development of cotton.

Many beneficial arthropods exhibit life-history omnivory (Polis & Strong 1996), in that they include honeydew, floral nectar, extra-floral nectar and/or pollen in their immature or adult diet (Hagen 1986; Coll

There appears to have been a change in the importance of pests presenting cotton over the last decade. This has involved former secondary pests, such as aphids, A. gossypii, minds, Creontiodes spp.

Fusarium wilt is an economically important disease of cotton in Australia. Disease occurs at the intersection of pathogen, plant, and environment (Figure I).

Australian cotton growers have utilised collaborative research, education and extension to aid the development of what is today one of the most innovative rural industries.

Airborne volatiles emitted by flowers and other vegetative plant parts that attract insects for feeding and egg-laying could be useful in pest management.

There is increasing interest in utilising Trichogramma egg parasitoids against helothis(Helicoverpa spp. ) in cotton, and crops that may act as sources of parasitoids for cotton -such as sorghum.

Resistance in the cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii) is a major new threat to Australian cotton production (Herron et al. 2001).

Sicot F-1 is a new cotton variety released in 2004. It has been developed specifically in response to the appearance of a new unique strain of the Fusarium wilt pathogen in Australia.