Cotton Production in Australia

Australia is known worldwide for producing cotton of the finest quality. Cotton production has an important position in the economy of Australia, earning foreign exchange of two billion dollars annually. Australian cotton production is highly mechanized, and its production systems are quite specialized with emphasis on more crops per drop. However, several factors are making Australian cotton production challengeable, such as climate change, water scarcity, emergence of new insects, diseases and weeds, waterlogged soils and rising production cost. Australian cotton growers, as well as cotton scientists, put sincere efforts to cope up with these issues. New agronomic tools, for example, the skip‐row technique for water saving in the dry land area, timely planting, and use of glyphosate‐tolerant and Helicoverpa ‐resistant cultivars, were adopted to increase the yield potential. Synergy among weather forecasting, fertilizer, water, and pest management in the integrated crop management mode is being considered for high efficiency of cotton production systems. This book chapter explores current issues of Australian cotton production systems and opportunities to solve these issues.