**1. Introduction**

#### **1.1. History**

Cotton has been sporadically cultivated in Australia since the late 1700s with varying degrees of success until the advent of the modern intensively managed and mechanised industry in the latter half of the Twentieth Century. There were initial attempts to establish an industry during the mid 1800s to fill the demand in Britain for lint caused by declining production during the US Civil War, but with the return of US production after the war this new incar‐ nation of an Australian industry was relatively short lived. In the early 1900s, financial incentives were introduced by the Queensland State Government to promote production in that State and by 1934 around 4000 tonnes of cotton lint, primarily from imported cultivars, were being produced. However, by the mid 1900s production was again virtually non-existent because of the prohibitively high cost of labour [1]. By the 1960s, the development of proper infrastructure for irrigation and mechanised pickers led to a rapid increase in area and production in northern NSW and southern and central Qld which was aided by the develop‐ ment of locally adapted cultivars in the 1980s and 1990s. An industry was also attempted in the Ord River Irrigation Area in the tropical region of Western Australia. However, this had collapsed by 1973 predominantly due to insect resistance to pesticides, but the crop continued to flourish in the Eastern part of Australia where the insect pressure was lower. Genetically modified cotton (Ingard®-Monsanto's MON531 *Cry1Ac* Bt) was first commercialised in 1996 and by 2005 over 90% of the area was grown to GM cultivars (Monsanto's Bollgard II® and Roundup Ready Flex®). In the 2011/12 season, the cotton area exceeded 700,000 ha, was >99% GM and produced over one million tonnes of lint.

The Australian cotton industry covers a wide north-south geographical range of 13° latitude (Figure 1); is based on a combination of heavy clay soils; and is challenged by a range of pests and diseases. The industry is predominantly upland cotton (*Gossypium hirsutum*), with up to

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2% of pima cotton (*Gossypium barbadense*). Since 2010, as a result of a long drought and eventually loss of infrastructure to support its processing, there has been no Pima cotton grown in this country. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) cotton breeding program has developed and released over 100 very successful cultivars adapted to local conditions with a high yield and quality. By 2000, these had displaced all imported cultivars and any other local competition and currently all cotton grown commer‐ cially in Australia stems from that program. Between 1995 and 2009, yield progress from the CSIRO program was an impressive 18.3 kg ha-1 year-1, with 48% of that yield improvement directly attributed to cultivar, 28% to improved management and 24% to the interaction between cultivar and management [2], making Australia one of the highest yielding cotton producers per hectare globally.

*1.1.1. History of cotton breeding programs in Australia*

in 1972 with the move to Narrabri.

production system [7].

Cotton breeding in Australia began in a very piecemeal manner with most early growers relying on unimproved and imported US cultivars. The first concerted effort to breed locally adapted cultivars came when a cotton research station was established in Central Queensland in 1923 and a Queensland DPI breeding program eventually released local cultivars to replace some of the imported cultivars. The first locally selected cultivar was Miller 43-9-0. This program also worked on insect host-plant resistance, producing a jassid-resistant hairy cultivar that was discontinued with the advent of widespread mechanical harvesting that was less tolerant of hairy leaf trash adhering to the cotton. This breeding program closed in 1990.

Australian Cotton Germplasm Resources http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/58414 3

With bounties to encourage production and construction of dams to facilitate irrigation, cotton expanded into more temperate areas in the 1960s and particularly through the 1980s. In 1972, breeding programs in southern NSW (CSIRO) and in northern Western Australia (CSIRO) were all consolidated at one location at Narrabri in northern New South Wales (NSW), where NSW Agriculture had established a breeding program in 1960. The NSW Agriculture program initially screened overseas cultivars for suitability to the unique combination of soils and climate in northern NSW, but evolved to study resistance to Verticillium wilt. This program closed in 1980. The CSIRO breeding program in southern NSW had a particular emphasis on earliness and suitability for ultra narrow row systems. This program used a wide range of germplasm for breeding, including from USSR and US Texas material to produce a number of early-maturing cultivars such as Riverina Poplar and Riverina Gold [3]. This program closed

Until the mid-1980s, the majority of cultivars grown in Australia were still imported from the US, principally Deltapine Smoothleaf, DP16, DP61 and DP90. The Delta and Pineland Com‐ pany established a breeding program in 1990 and marketed a number of cultivars, particularly GM, over the next decade. This US company changed hands and withdrew from marketing cultivars in 2010 as CSIRO developed cultivars had displaced the majority of even their locally

The CSIRO breeding program in northern Western Australia originally concentrated on adaptation to a system of sowing before the tropical wet season, then relying on fruit set during the dry season before harvest in winter [4]. This system and regional production collapsed due to heavy insect pressure and resistance by *Helicoverpa armigera* to insecticides. This program moved to northern NSW in 1972 and initially had strong emphasis on host plant resistance, with success in releasing okra leaf cultivars with tolerance to mites and *Helicoverpa* [5, 6] that set the foundations for future cultivar development by CSIRO. This program has grown rapidly since 1972 and has released many cultivars which now dominate the Australian cotton

Breeding challenges have largely been dictated by unique biotic and abiotic limitations on production and the need for Australia to remain competitive with other producing countries

bred offerings, but it still retains a breeding station in Australia.

**2. Challenges faced in breeding of Australian cultivars**

**Figure 1.** Australian cotton production regions

#### *1.1.1. History of cotton breeding programs in Australia*

2% of pima cotton (*Gossypium barbadense*). Since 2010, as a result of a long drought and eventually loss of infrastructure to support its processing, there has been no Pima cotton grown in this country. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) cotton breeding program has developed and released over 100 very successful cultivars adapted to local conditions with a high yield and quality. By 2000, these had displaced all imported cultivars and any other local competition and currently all cotton grown commer‐ cially in Australia stems from that program. Between 1995 and 2009, yield progress from the CSIRO program was an impressive 18.3 kg ha-1 year-1, with 48% of that yield improvement directly attributed to cultivar, 28% to improved management and 24% to the interaction between cultivar and management [2], making Australia one of the highest yielding cotton

producers per hectare globally.

2 World Cotton Germplasm Resources

**Figure 1.** Australian cotton production regions

Cotton breeding in Australia began in a very piecemeal manner with most early growers relying on unimproved and imported US cultivars. The first concerted effort to breed locally adapted cultivars came when a cotton research station was established in Central Queensland in 1923 and a Queensland DPI breeding program eventually released local cultivars to replace some of the imported cultivars. The first locally selected cultivar was Miller 43-9-0. This program also worked on insect host-plant resistance, producing a jassid-resistant hairy cultivar that was discontinued with the advent of widespread mechanical harvesting that was less tolerant of hairy leaf trash adhering to the cotton. This breeding program closed in 1990.

With bounties to encourage production and construction of dams to facilitate irrigation, cotton expanded into more temperate areas in the 1960s and particularly through the 1980s. In 1972, breeding programs in southern NSW (CSIRO) and in northern Western Australia (CSIRO) were all consolidated at one location at Narrabri in northern New South Wales (NSW), where NSW Agriculture had established a breeding program in 1960. The NSW Agriculture program initially screened overseas cultivars for suitability to the unique combination of soils and climate in northern NSW, but evolved to study resistance to Verticillium wilt. This program closed in 1980. The CSIRO breeding program in southern NSW had a particular emphasis on earliness and suitability for ultra narrow row systems. This program used a wide range of germplasm for breeding, including from USSR and US Texas material to produce a number of early-maturing cultivars such as Riverina Poplar and Riverina Gold [3]. This program closed in 1972 with the move to Narrabri.

Until the mid-1980s, the majority of cultivars grown in Australia were still imported from the US, principally Deltapine Smoothleaf, DP16, DP61 and DP90. The Delta and Pineland Com‐ pany established a breeding program in 1990 and marketed a number of cultivars, particularly GM, over the next decade. This US company changed hands and withdrew from marketing cultivars in 2010 as CSIRO developed cultivars had displaced the majority of even their locally bred offerings, but it still retains a breeding station in Australia.

The CSIRO breeding program in northern Western Australia originally concentrated on adaptation to a system of sowing before the tropical wet season, then relying on fruit set during the dry season before harvest in winter [4]. This system and regional production collapsed due to heavy insect pressure and resistance by *Helicoverpa armigera* to insecticides. This program moved to northern NSW in 1972 and initially had strong emphasis on host plant resistance, with success in releasing okra leaf cultivars with tolerance to mites and *Helicoverpa* [5, 6] that set the foundations for future cultivar development by CSIRO. This program has grown rapidly since 1972 and has released many cultivars which now dominate the Australian cotton production system [7].
