2011 ANNUAL PREVIEW: Water Security and Access Are the Key Issues

Since Australia’s early days of cotton cultivation, not yet half a century past, there has been enormous change as growers learned new methods, implemented new technologies and integrated research developments.

Australian cotton researchers have long been at the very forefront of some major international developments. Australian cotton varieties are now widely recognized for their high yield and quality, with many countries around the world regularly planting Australian seeds.

There have been major investments in research, particularly in variety improvement, water use and nutrient efficiency. That research has provided a direct path from the lab to implementation in the cotton fields. The massive benefits offered by transgenic cotton has reduced chemical use by almost 90 percent across the industry. Some farmers prefer not to spray for insects at all, preferring to allow the beneficial insects to do the hard work in the way nature intended.