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Ord cotton harvest underway

2 October 2009

Cotton trials on the Department of Agriculture and Food’s research station near Kununurra are being harvested with yields comparing well against commercial crops elsewhere in Australia.

Department research officer Penny Goldsmith said a trial crop planted to commercial standards yielded 9.7 bales per hectare, slightly higher than the Australian average in 2007-08 of 9.3 bales per hectare.

National data for 2008-09 is not yet available as ginning is incomplete.

“Fifteen genetically modified cotton varieties were sown on the department’s research station in April, all carrying the combination of genes which provides resistance to bollworm and budworm plus tolerance to Roundup herbicide,” Ms Goldsmith said.

The State Government lifted the ban on growing genetically modified cotton in the Ord River Irrigation Area late last year.

Ms Goldsmith said cotton on the Ord was abandoned in 1974 after key insect pests became uncontrollable. New genetically modified varieties developed since then had resulted in adoption interstate.

About 95 per cent of Australian cotton is genetically modified and most is exported.

Ms Goldsmith said the Ord research cotton would be processed over the next few weeks to separate the lint from the seed.

After ginning, the cotton will be sent to the Cotton Cooperative Research Centre at Narrabri in NSW for quality testing.

Ms Goldsmith said water availability was becoming a limitation to cotton growing in NSW and Queensland and had led to increased interest in cotton developments on the Ord.

Picture caption: Department of Agriculture and Food research officer Penny Goldsmith stands in a trial cotton crop in the Ord River Irrigation Area.

Media contacts:

Jodie Thomson/Lisa Bertram, media liaison                          9368 3937/9368 3325