Dryland systems: environmental factors and cotton establishment

Considering planting dryland cotton this season? In this article, QLD DAF's Paul Grundy talks about the environmental factors that impact cotton establishment in dryland cotton.

When you break it down, seedling establishment is dependent on two things:

The placement of the seed into soil with adequate moisture (and temperature) so that enough surface contact occurs to take up water. The ability of the germinating seed to emerge, which depends on the root tip being able to penetrate the underlying soil to begin establishing a root system whilst the hypercotyl has… Read More
FAQs: limited water scenarios and decisions

Mike Bange, Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO and James Quinn, Marketing & Extension Lead, CSD are often asked questions regarding limited water decisions. Here are their answers to commonly asked questions:

Which configurations yield highest?

Fully irrigated solid planted cotton will out-yield wider row configurations on a per hectare basis NOT necessarily on a per ML basis. (Figure 1).

As water becomes limited skip row configurations can become an option as they function by increasing the volume of soil that plants have to explore, providing a bigger…

Read More
Defoliation: What do the consultants say?

Defoliation:

CottonInfo's team of Regional Extension Officers surveyed key consultants in their regions to gain insight into how they make the decision to defoliate, to maximise yield and fibre quality. Below is a snapshot of the commentary provided.

Top tips for the best results? Ensure the crop and the field are ready to defoliate. Ensure moisture and N have been run down in crop as it makes the job easier. Check your crop regularly. Watch weather forecasts closely, particularly temperature. Try to defoliate when it's warm. Use weather to your advantage (… Read More
Frequently asked questions: Managing silverleaf whitefly and mealybug in cotton

In this blog, Richard Sequeira provides information on silverleaf whitefly (SLW) and solenopsis mealybug for cotton growers in the 2017-18 season.

Whitefly

The TIMS committee has approved a 30-day window for the application of pyriproxifen (Admiral) to control whitefly (SLW) in all cotton growing districts/areas in Australia, beginning in the 2017-18 season:

Q: Why is a 30-day window necessary?

Pyriproxyfen (Admiral) is a cornerstone product for SLW control; it is currently under significant resistance selection pressure.  Testing by DAF researchers… Read More
plant
Managing heat stress in cotton
Yield and quality can be adversely affected by periods of extreme heat (daily maximum temperatures greater than about 35ºC).High temperatures during the day or night will reduce yield by limiting the availability of assimilates to support fruit growth causing shedding of squares and young bolls and lowering the number of seeds set per boll. 

This in turn may cause crops to grow rank following the stress. Extremely hot temperatures at flowering may also cause ‘parrot beaking’ and during early boll growth may lead to boll death (sometimes called ‘cavitation’ or boll freeze). These…

Read More
irrigation
Survey to benchmark water use efficiency in cotton (6 October 2017)

Cotton growers are invited to participate in a water productivity benchmarking study, from the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Agriculture Division, over the 2017-18 season.

The 2017-18 survey, which is delivered with support from the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC), follows on from similar surveys in 2006-07, 2008-09 and 2012-13, which found that the cotton industry has achieved a 40 per cent increase in water productivity since the study conducted by Tennakoon and Milroy (2003) (0.79 bales per megalitre) 10 years earlier.

Water productivity…

Read More
Early season crop management (prior to flowering) for CQ (11 September 2017)

by QDAF researcher, Dr Paul Grundy:

There are a number of things to consider for nitrogen, first irrigation and pest management that will have an important bearing on crop development and yield potential in the CQ environment. The way in which these factors interact depends on the weather both leading up to and after operations take place. Critically these interactions vary significantly depending on whether a crop is sown early (August to early Sept) or late (late November and December).

In this edition we will focus on nitrogen and water interactions, leaving insect…

Read More
Geoff O'Neill
Cotton growers' corridor planting contributes to natural pest control (16 Aug 2017)

In 2001, in partnership with Greening Australia and the Australian Government's Envirofund, cotton growers Geoff and Ally O'Neill planted eight hectares of native trees and shrubs on their cotton property “Lllano” near Bald Hill. 

“We wanted to increase the biodiversity on our farm as well as provide a windbreak,” Geoff said. “Fifteen years later we definitely see more birds and lizards and feel the corridors are contributing to natural pest control.”

Before planting the corridors, Geoff fallowed the area for 18 months.

“We approached the…

Read More
CRDC/CottonInfo join WeedSmart (6 July 2017)

CRDC has recently jumped on board as a sponsor of WeedSmart. In this WeedSmart podcast, hear from CottonInfo’s Regional Extension Officer Annabel Twine and Tech Specialist Eric Koetz re a cotton weed management update. 

man in river
Revealing native fauna on cotton farms (April 2017)

A four-day fauna survey on the farm of Cotton RiverCare Champion Mark Palfreyman yielded more than 130 different species of native animals – a promising result, according to Mark.

“It’s encouraging to see such a great diversity of species on our farm, especially considering this was only a short snapshot in time,” Mark said.

“We know that there are other species here that were not spotted during the survey – some of the smaller mammals, for instance, like the narrow nosed planigale.”

The survey, part of the CRDC-supported and CottonInfo-led Cotton RiverCare project…

Read More