growers@sgcotton.com.au Roger Tomkins - Greenmount Press

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esistance from the related species, you can introduce undesirable traits such as smaller bolls, limited flowering, poor fibre quality, and poor performance under typical US crop conditions. That’s why additional crosses with adapted lines that have desirable agronomic traits are critical to getting the right combination of resistance and crop performance.” Markers provide an important tool to track resistance over multiple generations of crossing to ensure successful transfer, John adds. John and Sally aim to develop markers associated with reniform nematode resistance in G. arboreum and G. herbaceum and make them available to breeders. Markers are already available for reniform nematode resistance from G. longicalyx, G. aridum, and G. barbadense sources. These were developed by teams of researchers from ARS, Texas A&M University, Mississippi State University (MSU), Cotton Incorporated, and Monsanto Company, Sally says. Depending on the field in which it is grown, cotton can be attacked by many different nematodes, so varieties with resistance to two or more nematode species can be beneficial. In Mississippi, reniform nematode and root-knot nematode are the biggest challenges to profitable cotton production. Sally and John have teamed with MSU researchers Peggy Thaxton and Ted Wallace to develop cotton varieties with resistance to the two nematode species by using marker-assisted selection. Offspring from crosses are first selected based on the presence of markers for resistance. Plants that are found to have multiple sources of resistance are directly challenged with the nematodes to confirm the resistance. Advanced lines of upland cotton that resist one or both of the nematode pests may be ready for release in two to four years. A pest for the past 100 years At the ARS Genetics and Precision Agricultural Research Unit in Mississippi State, Mississippi, geneticist Johnie Jenkins and his colleagues have also made significant strides in coming up with nematode-resistant cotton lines. Root-knot nematode has been recognised as a cotton pest for the past 100 years, according to Johnie. “Since the 1930s, TACKLE • BAIT • ICE AT CHARLTONS FISHING YOU’RE IN THE BEST COMPANY... Minnkota Humminbird Daiwa Shimano Abu Garcia G-loomis scientists have been looking for resistance to nematodes. In the 1960s, ARS started research in root-knot nematode resistance in cotton,” says Johnie. Raymond Shepherd, a retired ARS scientist, was instrumental in using root-knot nematode resistance in a line of wild cotton from Mexico to develop resistant germplasm, he says. Johnie and his colleagues found patterns of DNA associated with root-knot nematode resistance and key genetic underpinnings that confer resistance to reniform nematode. The markers they developed for resistance to root-knot nematode in upland cotton – found on chromosomes 11 and 14 – should be useful in selecting plants with resistance. They also found that resistance to reniform nematode in a wild G. barbadense line is governed by more than one gene, and they have identified markers linked to these genes on chromosomes 21 and 18. They published separate articles on the root-knot nematode work and the reniform nematode work in Theoretical and Applied Genetics. Former post-doctoral researcher Osman Gutierrez (currently a plant geneticist in ARS’s Subtropical Research Station in Miami, Florida) was the lead author on the paper. Co-authors included Genetics and Precision Agriculture Research Unit colleagues agronomist Jack McCarty, molecular geneticist Martin Wubben, plant physiologist Franklin Callahan, and retired ARS scientist Arin Robinson. Commercial breeders had steered away from efforts to breed root-knot resistance into upland cotton lines over the years because it was governed by more than one gene and seemed so costly and time-consuming, says ARS agronomist Jack McCarty. But the research contributions from Johnie and his colleagues may change that due to the use of marker-assisted selection. “This research has sparked interest from some plant breeding companies in trying to develop high levels of resistance to rootknot and reniform nematode in upland cotton,” he says. This research is part of Plant Diseases (#303) and Plant Genetic Resources, Genomics, and Genetic Improvement (#301), two ARS national programs described at www.nps.ars.usda.gov. To reach scientists mentioned in this article, contact Dennis O’Brien, USDA-ARS Information Staff, 5601 Sunnyside Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705-5129; (301) 504- 1624. “The Search for Nematode-Resistant Cotton” was published in the July 2012 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. Penn Jackall 18 Kerwick Street Redbank Q 4301 Ph: 3818 1677 www.charltonsfishing.com.au MAIL ORDER WELCOME Charltons GrnMntPress.indd 1 1/09/2010 11:54:49 PM 48 — The Australian Cottongrower August–September 2012
The joys (or otherwise) of tractor driving! ■ By Ian M. Johnston Tractor driving ain’t what it used to be! Stating the obvious? Certainly. But let’s be honest. Climbing up into the cloistered confines of a modern tractor, adjusting the rake of the luxuriously upholstered arm chair, selecting the filtered air-conditioned temperature of choice, swivelling the armrest control consul to the most comfortable position, slipping an Elton John CD into the quad-speaker player, feeding the data into the satellite guidance system and then pushing the engine start button – can hardly be termed rugged, dirt under the finger nails, hard farm yakker. While I certainly rejoice that this is the lot of today’s tractor drivers, and I am not for a moment suggesting a farmer is not entitled to such modernity and comfort of advanced tractor design whilst enduring long hours at the controls, I do however confess to harbouring just a wee bit of envy. Possibly such fallacious thoughts are because during my farming days, out on the broad black soil plains of the Walgett Shire, our first tractors consisted of a Chamberlain Super 90, a Canadian Massey Ferguson also labelled a Super 90, an ageing Kero fuelled Case LA, a Lanz Bulldog, a Fiat dozer and a Massey Ferguson loader/backhoe. The Chamberlain The Chamberlain Super 90 was our pride and joy. It was considered a powerful muscle machine with its GM supercharged two stroke diesel and nine speed gearbox. Being the boss cocky, it was appropriate that this was the machine I drove. But subjected to endless 14 hour days, bouncing around in the open cockpit and being exposed to the torturous howling of the big two stroke diesel, is the reason that today I suffer from stiff joints The Chamberlain Super 90. This is one of five of these magnificent Chamberlains owned by the author and used on his different properties. The straight front axle indicates it is a Series 2 Super 90 with the higher performance G.M. supercharged two stroke three cylinder diesel engine. The Super 90 is considered by collectors as being the ultimate Chamberlain! (Photo M Daw) CLASSIC TRACTOR TALES and am more than half deaf. The wearing of ear muffs would have been considered sissy in the extreme, back in these ‘good old days’. Potentially even more damaging to my health than the constant jarring and the noise factor – was the dust! While working the black soil paddocks I was constantly enveloped in a cloud of fine powdery black dust. It caked in my ears, nose and throat. The only escape was if there was a decent crosswind. Even the engine air cleaner cartridge of the Chamberlain had to be removed and blown through with compressed air each day. Of course every farmer will appreciate the monotony we each experience when obliged to spend what seems like a lifetime, sitting in a tractor, hour after long hour, driving round and round or back and forward in a paddock which stretches endlessly towards the distant horizon. One tends to almost hibernate behind the wheel and enter a sort of dream world. But for me, there were two regular occurrences which were guaranteed to jolt me back into the real world. The first was if I spotted a wriggling red belly black, or a brown, or better still a king brown (snakes to those uninitiated in such things) desperately trying to get out of the path of the 22 disc plough. Without apologies to my conservation friends, I can state categorically that I hate snakes! For the record I also hate rats and, possibly to a lesser degree, frogs. But I deviate. Back to the snakes. I took great delight in pouring on the coals and careering off in hot pursuit of the loathsome creature, until finally the sharp plough disks chopped the thing into dozens of obscene wriggling sausages. I then of course had to navigate back to the furrow and sedately carry on, but greatly cheered by my achievement. The other experience that occurred not infrequently when working a paddock, was when Jim (my next door neighbour) was aloft in his Stuka divebomber (or whatever) and spied me The Chamberlain Super 90 shown pulling a 22 disc plough, which it handled with ease. It consumed a mere 1.5 gallons of diesel per hour. (Photo M Daw) August–September 2012 The Australian Cottongrower — 49
Page 1 and 2: August-September 2012 www.cottongro
Page 3 and 4: In this issue... 2012 Cotton Grower
Page 5 and 6: The trouble with buying old technol
Page 7 and 8: We’re with you from the beginning
Page 9 and 10: BE READY FOR ULTIMATE PRODUCTIVITY
Page 11 and 12: Roger Tomkins: 0409 100 036 Louise
Page 13 and 14: Field proven irrigation power John
Page 15 and 16: 16th Cotton Conference roundup AFTE
Page 17 and 18: Delegates may have found out more t
Page 19 and 20: You’re in control of your future.
Page 21 and 22: 2013 FARM STUDY TOURS For More Info
Page 23 and 24: Water Matters… Series supported b
Page 25 and 26: Valley ® Strongest in the industry
Page 27 and 28: Nutrition feature… Impact of nitr
Page 29 and 30: (ADVERTORIAL) Local Trials Show Bio
Page 31 and 32: SOIL organic carbon (SOC) is an imp
Page 33 and 34: and minimise the loss of stubble-C.
Page 35 and 36: WORLD COMMODITY WATCH India Specula
Page 37 and 38: documented, the Chinese state reser
Page 39 and 40: 3100% Australian Cotton 3100% Austr
Page 41 and 42: for the position between the gin st
Page 43 and 44: The trial crop has yielded around s
Page 45 and 46: FIGuRE: 3 Relationship between EM34
Page 47: Temik, is in short supply and is sc
Page 51 and 52: in Australia), when it finally erup
Page 53 and 54: Germinating ideas By CSD Extension
Page 55 and 56: Evaluation of insecticides for cont
Page 57 and 58: NEW Holland’s most powerful tract
Page 59 and 60: Students visit cotton districts CAL
Page 61 and 62: District Reports… Central Queensl
Page 63 and 64: Darling Downs The 2012 cotton seaso

growers@sgcotton.com.au Roger Tomkins - Greenmount Press

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