The $25 million upgrade to CSIRO’s cotton research facilities is expected to increase the value of cotton cropping across all states
CSIRO shows it has plenty of faith in the local Cotton industry as the research organisation unveiled a $25 million upgrade to its Myall Vale site in NSW with new facilities to support cutting-edge cotton research.
The upgrades include an updated Cotton Management Research Laboratory from where there will be ongoing monitoring of potential insect resistance and the measurement of crop nutritional status for improved management.
As part of the facility, there are now additional cotton breeding areas for more research, along with increased storage and processing areas.
CSIRO’s Executive Director, Future Industries, Kirsten Rose said the investment in the expanded facilities demonstrated CSIRO’s commitment to the cotton industry.
“Our cotton breeding work is world-class and our long-term commitment to the cotton industry which has been developed over half a century is now ensured into the future,” Kirsten Rose said.
“From humble beginnings 50 years ago, 100% of cotton now grown in Australia is a product of CSIRO science,” Kirsten Rose added.
Leader of CSIRO’s Cotton Breeding Program, Warwick Stiller, said the new facilities further cement CSIRO as a world leader in cotton research.
“The work our researchers are doing at Myall Vale is globally recognised, from developing pest-resistant cotton to producing more sustainable varieties that require less water,” Dr Stiller continued.
“Myall Vale is a unique site embedded with the local industry and community, and our partnerships with industry don’t just deliver huge economic benefits to the community but to Australia as a whole,” Dr Stiller added
Cotton Seed Distributors (CSD) Managing Director Peter Graham welcomed the opening of the new facilities saying it was a major boost not just for NSW but cotton growers Australia-wide.
“This increased capacity for the breeding and processing of cotton positions us strongly for growth in the domestic market and for a growing international presence,” Peter Graham said.
“The CSIRO-CSD partnership will grow to new heights as we boost the research effort here at Myall Vale and continue to grow more interest internationally in the value of the Australian cotton industry,” Peter Graham concluded.
CSIRO first established a presence at Myall Vale in 1972 with the opening of the Cotton Research Unit with the NSW Department of Primary Industries, what is now the Australian Cotton Research Institute.
Timeline for cotton growing
- Cotton research was first established in NSW in 1958 with the opening of the Myall Vale Experimental Station
- 100% of cotton grown in Australia is derived from the CSIRO breeding program
The CSIRO Myall Vale facility employs more than 60 people including internationally renowned plant breeders, entomologists, agronomists, water and soil scientists
