Cotton
Seeds | Agronomy Services | Cotton | Fertiliser
Elders Cotton
Elders Ltd is committed to the cotton industry. Not only from the viewpoint of having an extensive network of branches in most of the cotton growing areas but also in being a direct supplier of all the inputs necessary to grow a successful crop. Additionally, Elders can provide finance and insurance to protect the crop from start to finish.
Within each branch there are people charged with the responsibility for each facet of cotton growing. From the delivery of the products on time and in full or having it available and packaged ready for pickup to provision of information on new technologies and advice such as soil and leaf analysis.
Elders Limited has distribution arrangements with Australia's two suppliers of cotton planting seed. Cotton Seed Distributors (CSD) based at Wee Waa (NSW) supplies 75% of the cotton industry's planting seed, with DeltaPine Australia Limited based out of Narromine (NSW) providing the balance.
Cotton planting seed varieties are supplied as conventional; Bollgard (transgenic Bt); Roundup ready; or Bollgard + Roundup ready. Varietal breeding allows the development of traits to suit particular regions (short, mid, or late maturing); tolerance or resistance to specific soil pathogen related diseases; or cotton fibre traits related to length, strength, and micronaire. In addition, each variety has a range of seed treatments, with insecticide and / or fungicide options to minimise the influence of specific soil borne diseases and early sucking insect pests on young developing cotton.
Seed orders are collated from growers in each branch's area of coverage, and placed directly with the seed supplier as one initial order. Early order discounts are applied to prices by each company as a means of facilitating an early commitment from growers. Orders are firm and irrevocable and as such cannot be changed nor exchanged once the order has been placed. Seed orders are despatched to the Elders branches in late August and early September, from where grower orders are assembled and redistributed to the farms.
Monsanto's Bollgard technology requires an Elders branch to be listed with that company as a Technology Service Provider (TSP), which is then allowed to sign up an intending Bollgard cotton grower under a Technology User Agreement (TUA). While there are now no restrictions on the percentage of Bollgard that can be planted there are strict regulations with regards to Bollgard planting and refuge management. Additionally, planting seed cannot be provided unless there is a completed and signed TUA.
To complement the management of the cotton crop and the extensive research and development within the cotton industry, Elders has a team of qualified agronomists ready to provide advice on maximising returns. From nutrient and irrigation management to variety selection and pest control.
Elders agronomists are kept up to date with the latest information on new products and techniques. It is important that they also have a good knowledge of the production aims and farm plans of the many grower customers to ensure, not only is the advice and information timely, but relevant to the particular operation. This knowledge allows the agronomist to provide prescriptive solutions to problems.
Elders has established trading agreements with all the major suppliers of proprietary and generic agricultural chemicals to the cotton industry. These include, but not limited to:
- Bayer Crop Science
- Crop Care Australasia
- DowAgrosciences
- DuPont
- Farmoz
- Monsanto
- Nufarm
- Syngenta
Access to a wide range of suppliers provides access to 100% of the products used in pest management in cotton.
Biotechnology developments amongst the international Life Sciences companies have centred around input expression traits such as herbicide tolerance and insect management. Currently Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta, DowAgrosciences, and DuPont have released or are in late development stages of a range of new input trait transgenic products.
IPM (Integrated Pest Management) and AWM (Area Wide Management) programs are widely accepted in the industry, and incorporate a host of soft option chemistry to retain high populations of beneficial predators, hence avoiding high volume use of non discriminatory, harsher chemicals. Insecticides comprise the bulk of chemicals used, with a range of 10 to 15 sprays being required on conventional varietal crops in a normal insect population season. Aerial application is the preferred method of spraying, as it increases the flexibility in application timing, efficacy, and speed. Packaging therefore tends to be in bulk at airstrips, or 1,000 litre mini bulk containers. The efficacy of Bollgard has enabled up to a 60- 80% reduction in the use of insecticides.
Nitrogenous fertilisers dominate the basal applications in the cotton industry. A unique anhydrous ammonia gas product known as Big N, which is manufactured and marketed by Incitec, dominates the N market. Granular urea is also available from a range of local and/or imported sources. Urea suits those who do not wish to invest in the application machinery necessary for Big N, or who simply prefer to have greater control over the timing of nitrogen application.
Phosphorous fertilisers are supplied in a number of granular forms. In a number of cases Zinc may also be added, either as a blend mixed with the phosphorous fertiliser granules, a coating onto the granule or actually combined into the granule during the manufacturing process.
Potassium can be applied both as a basal application prior to planting, and topped up through foliar/liquid applications later in the season to combat a deficiency known as premature senescence, which degrades the chlorophyll content of leaves, and prevents optimum boll development.
Liquid fertilisers, applied as a foliar application onto the plant, or as a liquid in irrigation water are also becoming more commonly used. This type of application permits a more prescriptive application of nutrients timed to particular demand periods or to accommodate stresses put onto the plant from waterlogging or the plant trying to maintain a high boll load.
