Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 4215 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 196 — Summer 2016 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Control Fipronil + Cruiser Fipronil Yield (bales/ha) Thrips treatments a a a Figure 4. Yield of mechanically-harvested cotton from the Whitton site 2015–16 season trial. Note that bales were weighed after being in the paddock over winter and yields were approximately 1 bale/ha greater than what was calculated from the hand harvest data. Did pesticide treatments affect yield? We found no difference in yield or turnout between the threshold treatments and the unsprayed treatment in either trial, despite a drop in thrips numbers following the sprays. In both seasons there were no significant differences in yields from either hand or machine harvest assessments (Figure 4). This suggests that in the last two seasons, growing conditions have been adequate to allow plants to recover from early season thrips damage. Where to next? The threshold trial will be replicated for a third season in 2016–17 at three sites. The third season will provide a better understanding of how a cotton crop recovers from early season thrips damage and what this means for growers’ pest management options. Acknowledgements This project has been partially funded by the CRDC Establishing Southern Cotton – IPM project (DAN1501, 2014–17). We greatly appreciate the cooperation of the IREC demonstration farm committee, the Stott family and farm staff, James Hill and Matt Watson. Thanks to Dupont, Dow and Caltex for supplying insecticides for the experiment. Thanks to Jorian Millyard (Cotton Seed Distributors) for supplying seed in the first trial and trailer scales for weighing modules. Thanks to Lewis Wilson (CSIRO) for advice. Thanks to Warrick Stillard (CSIRO) and team for hand ginning our cotton samples in the first season. Further information Dr Sandra McDougall Leader Southern Irrigated Cropping Systems T: 02 6951 2728 M: 0427 401 466 E: [email protected] W: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au Rawlinson & Brown Local people with national connections Coleambally – Griffith - Hillston Our qualified and experienced agronomy team has a great track record in lifting production and increasing your profitability. Link that with our whole-of-farm specialists and you’re definitely on a winner! Agronomy – Merchandise – Livestock – Water – Rural Property – Real Estate – Finance – Insurance YOUR LOCAL AGRONOMIST: Steve Cave Brett Hay Murray Dempsey 0428 661 331 0428 004 033 0418 799 100 Will Brain Lachlan Vogan Craig Randall 0437 828 794 0407 628 070 0428 696 875 Thrips treatments Yield (bales/ha)