Inspecting the soil at Narrabri

NSW DPI have 90 research and technical staff in the cotton season, dropping to 52 in the off-cotton season at the Australian Cotton Research Institute (ACRI).

The Institute is located on 277 hectares of irrigated agricultural land on the Namoi river. It includes conference rooms, glasshouses, laboratories, cotton gins, controlled environment growth rooms, insectaries, workshops and conference rooms.

During the last 3 years, ACRI has received significant state and federal funding for new infrastructure and upgrades worth over $1.2 million including $650,000 allocated to renovate soil science and chemical ecology laboratories, offices for technicians and postgraduate students.

The Institute competes strongly for external funding support for its research and extension activities from industry bodies, states and federal organisations. 

The 2005-06 funding for projects was about A$4 million. This is an excellent performance in an increasingly competitive funding environment. 

Researchers' toolbox

The NSW DPI and the CSIRO share facilities on the ACRI site. 
  
The Institute undertakes insecticide resistance monitoring programmes for the Australian Cotton Industry. The Institute has extensive insect rearing facilities on site for its research activities.

Some of the lesser known, but no less important, facilities include:

• a PC2 certified laboratory and glasshouse facilities for dealing with genetically modified germplasm (CSIRO);
• glasshouses used to accelerate backcrossing in the cotton breeding program (three generations per year), undertake weed ecology and cotton physiology studies as well as rearing aphid, mite and beneficial populations (CSIRO);
• a 5,000 square metre shade tent for faba bean breeding in a pollinator-free environment. Approximately 470 F2 lines are selfed in the tent each year. This is the largest faba bean breeding facility in NSW; 
• a range of cotton ginning facilities that handle upwards of 45,000 samples each year. There is an 8-saw gin and mini roller gin for 3-boll samples, a range of 10-saw gins for slightly larger samples, 2 20-saw gins for samples up to 0.5 kg, a 30-saw gin for lines undergoing seed increase and 2 Platt roller gins for the pima and fibre quality programs (CSIRO);
• a fibre quality laboratory that handles approximately 30,000 samples each year. It is equipped with an Uster HVI classing unit. here is also a Shirley Fineness/ Maturity Tester that allows the components of micronaire to be assessed individually (CSIRO);
• a Climate controlled seed store allows long term storage (+25 years) of breeding germplasm. Cotton breeding material is also stored in the Australian Tropical Collection in Biloela, Qld.
• a recently installed growth cabinet will allow very detailed studies of cotton physiology to be conducted in the future. Unlike a glasshouse, the light, temperature and humidity are completely controlled in a growth cabinet. It is equipped with mercury vapour lights (which require water cooling) that produce 1000 micro moles/m2/sec of photosynthetic active radiation. (The average office fluro produces about a tenth of this.)
• two spray mantis spray rigs on the station for the application of herbicides and insecticides in small plot experiments. The insecticide boom has the capacity to be carrying 8 different chemicals simultaneously. Each can be applied with their own water rate, pressure setting and nozzle type with the flick of a switch. This ensures treatments are applied in a timely manner and that each chemical is applied using parameters that maximise its potential efficacy.
• the lysimeter at ACRI is an Equilibrium Tension Drainage Lysimeter. The lysimeter measures deep drainage, the flow of water through the soil below the root zone, under irrigated cotton. The deep drainage is collected by an array of trays installed beneath 2 m of undisturbed soil. Accurate flow measurement is achieved by constantly regulating the lysimeter vacuum to maintain equilibrium with the tension measured in surrounding soils.(CSIRO/NSW DPI)

Irrigation capacity

Irrigation system bore pump outlet at Narrabri

ACRI has two on-farm storage dams for irrigation, one dam holds 20 megalitres and the other holds 40 megalitres. There is also a tail water holding dam. The property has a 460 megalitre bore licence and a 1,450 megalitre river licence. The Institute rarely uses its entire water allocation. Within the farming system there are 6 water pumps. Two are used for pumping from the river and the remaining 4 pumps are used for water reticulation.

Quality Assurance

ACRI undertakes high quality research with applicable results and industry-focussed outcomes. At ACRI, quality is maintained through various rigorous processes, procedural and staff controls.

ACRI research laboratories are managed under the ISO 001:2000. All research areas and work methods have been independently audited and certified under ISO 9001 accreditation (NSW DPI).

Australian Cotton Industry Best Management Practice (BMP) accreditation

The ACRI has recently completed and has been accredited with the Cotton Australia's best management practice (BMP). ACRI is also moving forward in undertaking the Land and Water module and plans to become accredited for this module as well. These aims are consistent with farm and environmental sustainability.