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 426 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 196 — Summer 2016 KNOW YOUR PADDOCK POTENTIAL FOR PROFITABLE COTTON Cotton picking at the Benerembah nitrogen rate and timing trial, April 2016. l  Set realistic nitrogen budgets and yield targets for your cotton crop — aim for a nitrogen fertiliser use efficiency of 13 kg lint/kg N applied. l  Monitor nitrogen status throughout the crop’s development with petiole testing so nitrogen fertiliser application can be increased or decreased as required. l  By assessing the nitrogen use efficiency of your cropping system, it is possible to determine if factors other than nitrogen supply are limiting efficient cotton production. l  Mineralisation of organic nitrogen is an important in-crop source of nitrogen for cotton, therefore maximise the native soil nitrogen contribution to yield by minimising soil constraints. Nitrogen rate and timing trials in all cotton growing valleys of Australia have provided information about what influences the cotton plant turning applied nitrogen into lint. Kieran O’Keeffe Regional Extension Officer (Southern NSW), CottonInfo CONDUCTED by CottonInfo Regional Extension Officers for the last three seasons, the purpose of the trials has been to explore the factors that influence nitrogen fertiliser use efficiency, i.e. the efficiency of the cotton plant turning applied nitrogen fertiliser into lint yield. This article presents the results for the 2015–16 trial in southern New South Wales, at Benerembah, 20 kilometres south west of Griffith. The southern NSW trial was carried out on a bankless ‘beds in bays’ layout. The cropping history of the paddock was cotton in 2013–14 and fallow in 2014–15. The crop was watered up 5 October 2015, with an even plant stand of 14 plants/metre established. The trial design was randomised and replicated three times in strips of 8 rows (4 beds) wide by 800 metres long over two 400 m bays. QUICK TAKE