Collaborating to Improve Cotton Production Efficiency Across the Big Pond
May 25, 2023

U.S. cotton researchers traveled to Australia to exchange knowledge and advance production efficiency.

The Cotton LEADS℠ program and partners are committed to cotton — and committed to good. Creating continuous, sustainable improvements in cotton production requires collaboration across farms, organizations and cotton-growing nations. In fact, one of the program’s guiding principles is the belief in working cooperatively and sharing research, practices and technological expertise.

 

This spring, a team of U.S. researchers demonstrated one way to practice this principle. They traveled to Australia to exchange scientific knowledge about cotton production practices with colleagues across the Big Pond. Together, the two teams laid groundwork for further collaborative efforts to increase cotton production efficiency.

 

The Australian team was led by Dr. Mick Bange and included his colleagues from Cotton Seed Distributors. They also met with CottonInfo staff and other state, federal, and university scientists across New South Wales and Queensland.. The U.S. team was comprised of Dr. Craig Bednarz, associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Sciences at West Texas A&M University; Dr. Duke Pauli, assistant professor in the School of Plant Sciences at the University of Arizona; and Drs. Evy Jaconis and Gaylon Morgan, who serve as directors of agricultural research at Cotton Incorporated. Jaconis is also the organization’s resident cottonseed expert, while Morgan is an expert in soil health.

 

The U.S. and Australia share many of the same opportunities and challenges in cotton production, making ongoing scientific collaboration between the two countries mutually beneficial. For instance, researchers in both nations are exploring how to increase nitrogen use efficiency, develop effective outreach programming, and support student/staff exchange programs. During the recent trip, the researchers focused closely on how to increase water use efficiency and developing common metrics for water and other inputs.

 

Bednarz, Pauli and Bange cross an irrigation canal that will be used to furrow irrigate cotton fields with siphon tubes.

 

Bednarz, Pauli and Bange cross an irrigation canal that will be used to furrow irrigate cotton fields with siphon tubes.

 

The U.S. team visited about a dozen cotton farms in Australian regions that are relatively comparable to key cotton production regions in Texas and Oklahoma — the regions have similarly inconsistent precipitation and limited water availability for irrigation. The U.S. team paid close attention to the different ways that Australian growers are dealing with similar conditions by using different irrigation methods that work with their local soil type. Team members also noted the emphasis on monitoring soil moisture and timing irrigation to maximize yields and water use efficiency.

 

Bednarz, Pauli and Bange discuss the pros and cons of the surface trip irrigation system that grower Andy Watson is evaluating. This approach aims to increase water use efficiency and reduce labor costs compared to furrow irrigation on smaller and irregularly shaped fields.

 

Bednarz, Pauli and Bange discuss the pros and cons of the surface trip irrigation system that grower Andy Watson is evaluating. This approach aims to increase water use efficiency and reduce labor costs compared to furrow irrigation on smaller and irregularly shaped fields.

 

Alongside outreach specialists from CottonInfo and Cotton Seed Distributors, an Australian cotton grower describes his irrigation and agronomic practices for a field where he is expected to produce 15 bales per hectare (6 bales per acre).

 

Alongside outreach specialists from CottonInfo and Cotton Seed Distributors, an Australian cotton grower describes his irrigation and agronomic practices for a field where he is expected to produce 15 bales per hectare (6 bales per acre).

 

The teams also toured dryland acreage — cotton that does not use irrigation. In these Australian regions, dryland cotton is typically rotated with sorghum and/or wheat, and the plantings are timed to capture more soil moisture for the cotton crop. The U.S. team noted that growers typically use minimal tillage for dryland cotton, and they emphasize preserving the crop residue on the soil surface. They also use various planting configurations, such as ultra-wide rows or “skip-row” configurations. Doing so preserves moisture in the soil between rows until later in the growing season, when plants’ roots are long enough to reach it.

 

The U.S. team enjoyed two weeks of tremendous hospitality, first-hand observations, and valuable conversations not only with other researchers, but with growers willing to discuss their farming operations. The U.S. team plans to return the goodness over the next year by hosting an Australian team to continue collaboration on water use efficiency, especially as it relates to soil water and plant monitoring.

 

The U.S. team would like to express their sincere appreciation to Cotton Seed Distributors for hosting them in Australia. They look forward to returning the hospitality!

 

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