Increasing the productivity and profitability on Australian cotton farms by $1.5 billion by 2023 is CRDC’s aim within this goal. To work towards this, CRDC focuses on investments in RD&E to deliver optimised farming systems, adapt transformative technologies, and protect our industry from biotic threats and environmental stresses.

In 2019–20, CRDC invested in 117 projects within this goal, accounting for 75 per cent of our total RD&E expenditure. This increased from 68 per cent in 2018-19, due to a focus on maintaining core capacity during investment years impacted by drought.

Performance against the Strategic Plan:

RD&E highlights:

Smarter Irrigation for Profit phase 2 (RRDP2001-RRDP2020)

Smarter Irrigation for Profit phase 2 is tackling the challenge of reduced water availability by focusing on practical, cost-effective strategies to improve the water productivity of Australian cropping and pasture irrigators. The project is a partnership between the major irrigation industries of cotton, dairy, sugar, rice and grains, research organisations and farmer groups. The project is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program. The project has 14 subprojects covering three components: development of new irrigation technologies, including new sensors, advanced analytics to improve irrigation scheduling, and strategies to reduce water storage evaporation; cost-effective, practical automated irrigation systems; and a network of 36 farmerled optimised irrigation sites located on commercial farms.

Southern cotton crop protection (including CottonInfo Disease Technical Lead and myBMP module lead) (DAN1903)

With new growers and consultants swelling the cottongrowing industry in southern NSW and northern VIC, the region needs capacity building in crop protection. Regional conditions and a shorter cotton-growing season require different crop management approaches in the south, and consequently, acquisition of local research data is an imperative. This project brings expertise in disease and invertebrate pest research to the region, appointing a new cotton pathologist to the south. Building on earlier projects, it analyses key pathology and entomological issues, and identifies integrated management solutions to boost productivity and profitability for southern growers.

Potential for broadacre cropping in the Northern Territory (CRCNA2001)

This project aims to support the development of viable broadacre cotton systems in the NT, through the collation of historical broadacre cropping data, natural resource information and an understanding of market opportunities. The initial focus of the project is on rainfed and irrigated systems growing cotton and peanut crops, while maize, sorghum, rice and pulse crops are being investigated as possible ‘break crop’ options for cotton and peanut producers. The project includes validating and calibrating modelling tools to understand short- and long-term risk profiles. Field trials and commercial on-farm demonstrations provide data for refining and validating simulation models with locally relevant data, and build local grower and agronomist cropping experience and capacity. This collaborative project builds on another CRDC-supported project, Science leadership for cotton development in Northern Australia (CSP1903).

Precision management for improved cotton quality (CMSE1802)

This project uses new sensor technology to automate the measurement of the cotton crop’s status, helping growers make better on-farm management decisions. The use of sensor-collected data presents opportunities for more efficient production; improved fibre maturity, length and consistency; less trash and entanglements; and help for growers by avoiding discounts and raising profit margins. In addition, new methods are being investigated to mitigate situations where ginned cotton value is degraded by poor colour, leaf content and moisture. For example, a potential colour and leaf grade sensor in the picker to gauge the classing grade of the module at harvest, before ginning.

Minimising yield variability to maximise yield (DAN1801)

The differences in cotton yield across different fields within one farm suggest variability in soil and/or management. Using strategic soil and crop management to boost yields in low-yielding cotton paddocks would improve the average industry yield per hectare and resource-use efficiency.

A systematic approach is needed to identify causes of low yield and to develop targeted solutions to overcome them. To find the many potential causes of yield variability, this project uses multidisciplinary staff from soil science (physics, chemistry, functionality and biology), plant pathology, agronomy and abiotic stress, economics and biometrics. To date, the project has used big data to produce digital soil maps to identify soil constraints at depth.

PhD: Building climate change resilience in cotton through translational physiology (ANU1704)

Frequent heat waves and drought continue to threaten Australian cotton production, but how do they affect plants? This PhD project determines the impact of extreme climates on plant photosynthesis. It generates temperature dependency data, including biochemistry and physiology of CO₂ assimilation. The differences in photosynthesis of cotton species from different parts of the globe have been analysed under glasshouse and field conditions against climates of origin and selected modern cotton cultivars.

The analysis has found differences in the optimum temperature for photosynthesis between these different cotton species. The project has helped to develop predictive models to establish the value of transforming photosynthesis, and to provide guidance on physiologically meaningful levels of transformation. This knowledge will help to build resilience into cotton systems, and indicate potential breeding and management solutions to boost productivity in variable and future climates.

PhD: Utilising novel plant growth regulators to develop resilient future cotton systems (CSP1604)

This PhD project uses plant growth regulator (PGR) applications to make cotton plants more efficient and resilient to abiotic stress, and to deliver economic improvements in yield and lint quality to Australian cotton production. It investigates relevant biochemical pathways of plant and crop responses to treatments, as well as agronomic responses.

Because water availability drives production, abiotic stressors are a major limiting factor of yield and lint quality, e.g. water-deficit stress reduces production via changes in plant physiological functioning. In lower yielding (American) systems, PGRs enhance overall crop performance and yield, notably in water- deficit scenarios. In Australia, novel PGRs could be used to address water deficit, heat and cold stressors and soil abiotic constraints.

Biological-based products for improved cotton production (UWS1901)

While biocontrol agents and biological indicators can limit losses from Verticillium and Fusarium wilts, better controls are needed. This project links with commercial companies to supply bio-based products for biotic (disease-incidence) or abiotic (nutrient-deficiency) stress. It aims to: find and improve microbial strains (from cotton farms) to control Verticillium and Fusarium in glasshouse- and field-grown cotton; develop ways to harness plant- microbiome interactions to control disease; and identify next-generation (genomics and satellite-based) biological indicators of soil health, including disease incidence and farm productivity. The project uses a systems approach (pathogen, host and environment), similar to an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system, to build disease- suppressive soils and to help nutrient acquisition and stress response of the cotton crop.

Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative (HIA1801)

CRDC is a member of the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative (PBRI), which includes all seven plant-based Research and Development Corporations (RDCs). PBRI supports cross-sectoral RD&E to minimise the damage caused by biosecurity threats to Australia’s plant industries. These threats include endemic and exotic pests, diseases and weeds. The PBRI plays a long-term role in developing RD&E and capacity building for all plant industries to protect Australia’s plant biosecurity system. It provides collaborative leadership to deliver high-quality plant biosecurity research to support industry. It hosted a two- day symposium in Brisbane in August 2019 showcasing current plant biosecurity research, the first meeting of its kind in Australia to address biosecurity in this way.

A biological alternative to nitrogen fertiliser in cotton (UN1901)

Nitrogen fertiliser is a significant input cost into cotton production systems and is also a key contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The project focuses on Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, a nitrogen-fixing bacterium capable of living within plant tissue. Once colonisation is established, the bacteria can provide up to 50 per cent of the host plant’s nitrogen needs. It also boosts plant growth and protects against pathogens.

So far, G. diazotrophicus has colonised every plant species it has been tested on, and there are hopes for use in cotton. This technology could replace up to 50 per cent of a cotton plant’s nitrogen requirements, significantly reducing the quantity of nitrogen fertiliser required in production systems and decreasing losses through greenhouse gas emissions.

Novel topical vegetable, cotton virus and whitefly protection: BioClay (HIA1803)

The project involves trials of the non-toxic, clay-based, biodegradable product BioClay on cotton farms. BioClay primes the plant’s own defences, helping the plant to naturally attack specific crop pests and pathogens. It’s a step towards revolutionising how pests are controlled organically for increased sustainability and resilience. The work has also formed the basis of an Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Hub for sustainable crop protection, through the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative (PBRI). The Hub aims to develop and commercialise the innovative biological alternative to chemical fungicides targeting economically significant diseases.

Large-scale biosecurity scenario to support cotton industry preparedness (PHA1902)

Exercise Blueprint was a biosecurity incursion simulation exercise run for the cotton industry over two days in August 2019. It brought together key stakeholders from the cotton industry to examine a scenario of a fictional detection of cotton blue disease in Australia. Discussions and activities during the exercise focused on three objectives: communication/engagement structure; potential strategies for responding to cotton blue disease in a production setting and understand the consequent impacts to the cotton industry; and explore strategies to mitigate the impacts of an emergency response to cotton blue disease on cotton growers. The exercise highlighted that the existing level of preparedness in the cotton industry is overall very high, with an opportunity to build upon the existing level in a few areas. This type of activity helps to ensure the industry has systems and capacity to respond to real incursions.

Identifying sensors for better Integrated Pest Management in cotton (NEC1901)

Silverleaf whitefly (SLW), mites and aphids gathering under cotton leaves are not easily detected manually because of diurnal movement or patchy distribution. Left untreated, they can slash the value of a cotton crop through feeding damage, or by depositing honeydew, which reduces quality. Effective management relies on their accurate and timely detection and quantification to identify the need for treatment. This project has successfully developed a proof-of-concept machine-vision sensing approach able to discriminate pest infestations with a beta app now being tested in the field. The algorithm includes machine learning based on thousands of SLW nymph image samples. The sensor has the potential to further improve management of these key pests.

Improving crop establishment, termination and weed control in dryland cotton farming systems (CRDC1937)

This project examines planting tactics that may address factors affecting seedling establishment in dryland cotton farming systems, and aims to develop and test the reliability of crop destruction tactics that minimise cultivation. One such tactic is AquaTill Injeticide, which incorporates herbicide ultra high-pressure water cutting, offering an alternative method of crop termination with minimal soil disturbance post-harvest. The technology was first tested on mulched cotton in 2017, in the CRDC- supported project, Opportunities for dryland cotton with Bollgard 3 (DAQ1703). CRDC then supported AquaTill’s founder, Greg Butler, as a participant in the Pollenizer start-up rural.xo microhack. Greg has since partnered with a machinery manufacturer and a herbicide registrant, and under this CRDC project, demonstrations are planned for cotton farms during the 2020-21 season.

Integrated Pest Management technical lead and pest management for high-yield research (DAQ1902)

This project investigates whether previous recommendations for fruit retention are compatible with the pursuit of very high yields. It tests the validity of assumptions about advice frequently provided for the management of early to mid-season pests, and determines the limitations or capacity for timely crop compensation when the goal is to achieve high yields. The project also includes Integrated Pest Management (IPM) leadership for the industry via the CottonInfo Technical Lead, which ensures that growers and their advisors have access to current information that enables them to effectively manage pests, best preserve non-target, species and reduce the risk of insecticide resistance. During 2019-20, following the fall armyworm (FAW) incursion, the project team also inspected a range of crops for FAW activity in North QLD, and produced identification materials for growers via CottonInfo.

Characteristics of disease-suppressive cotton farming systems and soils understood (DAQ2002)

Soil-borne diseases continue to be one of the major constraints to cotton production. An improved ability to identify and manage the soil’s natural disease-suppression capability would assist in the strategic management of soil-borne disease risks. This project helps to identify soil biological and physico-chemical elements to quantify disease-suppression potential and identify management practices that promote disease-suppressive systems. The project is delivering key diagnostics, surveillance, and response capacity for cotton pathology in QLD & NSW, best practice disease management advice that focuses on a farming system for building disease-suppressive soils, and an increased understanding of defensive ability for resistance breeding.

Area-Wide Management for cropping systems weeds, investigating the weed management, social and economic opportunity (GRDC2002)

The traditional approach to tackling weeds has been at a paddock or farm scale. This project aims instead to take an area-wide approach to weed management, the theory being that if the number of weeds over the entire landscape can be reduced, everyone in the area should benefit. This project, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program, aims to identify the benefits, key principles and practices required for successful area-wide weed management. It is using key weed species, regional landscapes and group engagement to develop an understanding of the economic and social drivers of success.

Quantifying the effectiveness of cover crops as a means of increased water infiltration and reduced evaporation in the northern region (GRDC1801)

This cross-sectoral project investigated the effectiveness of cover crops to increase infiltration, reduce evaporation, and increase plant-available water for dryland grain and cotton and irrigated cotton. Thirteen experiments were conducted on low-cover fallows around Yanco, Parkes/ Canowindra and Goondiwindi. The best cover crop treatments recovered the 40-60 mm water deficit taken to grow them by the end of the fallow in most experiments, something modelling suggests may happen in up to 70 per cent of years. While some cover crops stored up to 38 mm extra plant-available water, they also lost water in some very dry seasons. The research found that cover crops can protect the soil from erosion in low-cover fallows and maintain stored water in a majority of years. Importantly, the project has demonstrated yield impacts at some dryland grain and irrigated cotton sites up to three times larger than can be explained by differences in soil water alone. These responses appear to be due to better establishment, increased in-crop infiltration, better water extraction, and perhaps improved soil biology.

Case studies:

Case study: Smarter irrigation goes into phase 2

Irrigation efficiency is set to take another leap forward through phase 2 of the Smarter Irrigation for Profit project.

Phase 2, led by CRDC, kicked off in late 2019. The project is a partnership between the major irrigation industries of cotton, dairy, sugar, rice and grains, plus research organisations and farmer groups. It is building on the success of the initial Smarter Irrigation for Profit project, which wound up in 2018. Phase 2 is addressing the challenges of reduced water availability by improving the water productivity of crop and pasture irrigators, through developing new precision irrigation technologies, improving existing technologies, and facilitating faster uptake through producer-led demonstration sites.

Day-to-day project activities are being overseen by Cathy Phelps, who has worked extensively in both the dairy and cotton industries.

“More than 4000 cotton, dairy, rice, grains and sugar irrigators are set to benefit from this project, along with the sustainability and efficiency of those industries,” she said.

“We’ve started the 14 sub-projects with our partners, covering three key components.”

These components are: development of new irrigation technologies, including new sensors, advanced analytics to improve irrigation scheduling and strategies to reduce water storage evaporation; cost-effective, practical, automated irrigation systems for cotton, rice, sugar and dairy; and a network of 36 farmer-led optimised irrigation sites on commercial farms across Australia.

While the learning and research undertaken across the 14 sub-projects can be shared across industries, which is a feature of the projects, there are also cotton-specific projects. These will cover areas such as:

• using plant-based sensing to optimise for irrigation strategies
• development of solutions to reduce evaporation from water storages
• increasing the adoption of automated irrigation technologies
• precise real-time automated cotton irrigation for improved water productivity
• development of a whole-of-farm scale gravity-fed irrigation management system with the aim of increasing on -arm water-use efficiency
• demonstration of the application of the latest digital technologies for precise automated irrigation in the Gwydir Valley; and improving the science of water footprinting methods to make them more applicable for Australian agriculture.

Smarter Irrigation for Profit phase 2 is funded by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program, round four, in conjunction with CRDC, Dairy Australia, Sugar Research Australia, Grains Research and Development Corporation, AgriFutures Australia, CSIRO, NSW DPI, University of Melbourne, University of Southern Queensland, Deakin University, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, Agriculture Victoria and the Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association. Supporting partners include farmer groups and commercial irrigation providers.

For more: read the full article in the Winter 2020 edition of CRDC’s Spotlight magazine, or visit the project page at the CRDC website.

Case study: Looking to broaden acres in Northern Australia

A $2.1 million research program for Northern Australia, supported by CRDC, was announced in March 2020, to trial high-value crops such as cotton with potential rotation crops.

The two-year ‘Potential for broadacre cropping in the Northern Territory’ project is being co-funded by the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA), CRDC, the Grains Research and Development Corporation and 14 industry partners. It’s the largest collaboration to date for the CRCNA.

This project will collate historical broadacre cropping data, natural resource information and an understanding of market opportunities to support the development of viable broadacre cropping systems in the NT, helping to de-risk broadacre agriculture in the Top End.

The Northern Territory Farmers Association believes that by 2029 the area under broadacre cropping would be extensively expanded if the NT realises its potential. The cotton industry alone is projected to grow to 35,000 hectares, up from just 80 hectares currently, generating 300 jobs.

The project will identify potential crops, the timing and length of the potential cropping windows, and the impacts of climate and soil conditions on yield and quality. These factors ultimately determine the productivity of broadacre cropping systems. For crops that can be grown based on available resources and environmental conditions, there must also be an analysis of their market opportunities to support their successful adoption. The initial focus will be on rainfed and irrigated systems growing cotton and peanut crops, while maize, sorghum, rice and pulse crops will also be investigated as possible ‘break crop’ options for cotton and peanut producers.

A mixture of on-field and simulation techniques will be used throughout this project. Small-scale trials will be complemented by larger, commercial demonstration trials and supported by crop simulation tools like OZCOT.

“Advances in these crop simulation models provide a powerful tool that can be used to extend learnings from past and current field research, build an understanding of the short-and long-term risk profiles, identify key management decisions, determine irrigation water demands, and incorporate producer experience while developing an overall picture of the cropping potential of a region,” DPIR senior research agronomist Dr Ian Biggs said.

Data collected as part of the trials will be used to validate OZCOT under Northern Australian conditions, while the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) will contribute its cropping system modelling expertise to the project. The USQ Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems helps decision-makers identify system constraints and make informed, science-based decisions that improve the productivity, profitability and environmental sustainability of agricultural systems.

CRCNA CEO Jed Matz said this information will help producers decide which crops to grow, and when and where to grow them.

“This collaboration is about gathering the brightest minds in northern Australian cropping systems. It’s about setting the starting points for the development of broadacre cropping systems by giving producers, investors and development decision-makers the information they need to realise the region’s potential and all the economic benefits that flow from realising that potential,” he said.

For more: read the full article in the Winter 2020 edition of CRDC’s Spotlight magazine.

Case study: New tool for crop termination on the way

Ultra high-pressure water cutting is making its way onto implements used in the cotton farming system.

This technology, named AquaTill Injeticide, incorporates herbicide with ultra high-pressure water cutting. It is great news for cotton growers, especially dryland growers, as it offers an alternative method of crop termination with minimal soil disturbance post-harvest.

Not only is successful crop destruction important to growers to meet the requirements of the Resistance Management Plan, it is important to the industry as a whole, as ratoon cotton is an over-winter host for pests and diseases. With more herbicide genes being commercialised, ratoon control is becoming increasingly difficult with limited herbicide options available.

The AquaTill technology was first tested on mulched cotton in 2017, in a CRDC-supported project with Sundown Pastoral Company’s Darren Hart, Greg Butler from the South Australian No-Till Farmers Association and QLD DAF’s Paul Grundy.

The initial trial found using ultra high-pressure water cutting had potential as an effective crop destruction method, and investigated the incorporation of herbicides for more robust control. CRDC supported this further investigation, working with Greg, Annabelle Guest, and the Dryland Cotton Research Association.

The trials (using fluroxypyr) have been successful, and the team found that ‘nicking’ rather than completely severing the stem was most effective in delivering the herbicide dose and killing the plant.

“We think this is because the fluroxypyr translocates in the vascular tissue that has not been severed and that is why higher control is achieved with just a nick,” Annabelle said.

“We have also been working with manufacturers and towards registration of the technology as a new method of herbicide application.”

AquaTill Injeticide is the name given to the technology by the manufacturers of the ground engagement rig, a machinery manufacturer in Narromine, Central Western NSW.

A registrant is on board to expand their Fluroxypyr 400 product label to include AquaTill Injeticide as a new method for controlling cotton ratoon regrowth. For interested growers, demonstrations will be set up across cotton regions in the 2020-21 season.

For more: read the full article in the Autumn 2020 edition of CRDC’s Spotlight magazine