CSIRO cotton research in Narrabri turns 40

CSIRO’s Lewis Wilson says the 40 years of the Unit have been marked by the committed research of all the team members and a strong sense of

“The contribution our cotton team scientists at Narrabri have made over 40 years to the cotton industry is world-leading.”

Dr Jeremy Burdon, Chief, CSIRO Plant Industry

Plant Industry Chief, Dr Jeremy Burdon, said the Unit had made a massive contribution to the development of the cotton industry both in Australia and internationally, and to CSIRO’s research capability.

“The contribution our cotton team scientists at Narrabri have made over 40 years to the cotton industry is world-leading,” Dr Burdon said.

The Unit was established in 1972 when CSIRO cotton scientists from Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, and Griffith New South Wales, moved to Narrabri at the heart of the cotton growing industry in the north-west of New South Wales. The core of this Unit was three experienced scientists in breeding, entomology and agronomy.

The CSIRO Cotton Research Unit was created to develop new varieties to support a valuable crop to benefit export and the rural economy, and create a farming system that was efficient, sustainable and productive.

Forty years on and the research by the CSIRO team has justified the expectations of those early years: cotton production has grown into one of Australia’s biggest agricultural industries and CSIRO-bred varieties now comprise the entire Australian market including new varieties with improved yield, disease resistance and fibre quality. The variety development is complemented by research in crop management in pests and agronomy as well as delivery of research information in decision support packages.

CSIRO will celebrate the anniversary with a lunch followed by a presentation of the “A Life in Cotton” film.

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CSIRO is celebrating 40 years of cotton research in Narrabri.