2021 FastStart Cotton Accreditation Course

FastStart adopts a holistic approach to cotton establishment, which considers:

Maximising yield potential and fibre quality, improving water use efficiency, and minimising costs

Protecting and developing a healthy crop until harvest

Achieving desired plant population, uniform plant stand and maximising yield potential

Monitoring and managing the crop through the whole plant life cycle

The FastStart program provides a number of tools that support management of the crop until:

The number of day degrees (DD) required from square to flowering is:

Before planting, the key agronomic considerations are:

Long-term weather outlook

Price and futures contracts

Variety and fertility

Selecting a variety that responds to Pix later in the season

The two varieties with the highest F.rank and V.rank (correspondingly) are:

FastStart Cotton is a research, development and extension partnership between Cotton Seed Distributors and:

FastStart Cotton research activities are funded by growers who purchase Cotton Seed Distributors seed treated with Syngenta seed treatments. To be eligible for the FastStart Cotton Establishment Awards, seed must be treated with:

Vibrance CST / Complete plus either Cruiser 600FS or Cruiser Extreme

Vibrance Complete only

Vibrance CST with any other insecticide

Cruiser Extreme only

FastStart Cotton research is focused on which growth stages of the crop:

Squaring to flowering

Flowering to harvest

Sowing and emergence

The first 70 days of the crop

The FastStart Cotton Establishment Guide is designed to provide growers with:

A prescriptive manual on cotton management

A best practice guide to enable the best possible establishment of the crop

A technical knowhow for growers to make their own decisions and save money on consultants

A supplement to the Australian Cottongrower magazine

Within the FastStart Cotton Establishment Awards, the metric of ‘establishment’ is assessed based on:

Percentage of plants established and Planter Uniformity Index

Planter calibration taking into account the seed variables

The look of the field at establishment with no gaps

How quickly the plant emerged

The range of online tools and calculators available on the FastStart website are designed to provide growers with decision making resources to enable the best possible establishment of their crop.

True

False

It is the last week of September and a grower in Carrathool, NSW is contemplating planting his cotton crop. There is sufficient moisture, and soil preparation has been completed. The grower looks at the FastStart Soil Temperature Network which tells them that conditions are optimal (>14°C) but there is a cooling trend over the next 5 days. What should the grower do?

Take the risk and plant the crop, without making any adjustments for the adverse conditions

Work the soil again while waiting for optimal planting conditions

Wait for optimal conditions and preferred outlook before planting

Water up ready to plant when the conditions are favourable

A grower on the Darling Downs, QLD is calculating planting rate. The grower is planting Sicot 714B3F into a field which has a field score of 2 and a high disease pressure rating. The seed is treated with Vibrance Complete plus Cruiser 600. There is sufficient moisture (rainfall) to plant, the soil temperature is 14°C and the 7 day forecast is 31-60. To get the optimal plant stand of 8 plants per metre what rate does he need to plant? (Use the tools on the FastStart website to calculate).

15.5 seeds per metre

14.2 seeds per metre

13.8 seeds per metre

14.6 seeds per metre

A grower in the Upper Namoi, NSW is considering two varieties to plant in an irrigated field this season (2020). The performance of Sicot 714B3F and Sicot 746B3F has been very good over the past two seasons. Should the grower make their variety choice on variety trial results alone?

Yes

A grower in Moree, NSW planted an irrigated crop of cotton on the 9th October 2019 and harvested the crop on the 5th March 2020. During this period the crop received (DD base 12) how many day degrees? (Hint: Use Moree Aero as the reference point for the DDC)

2200-2300 day degrees

2300 -2400 day degrees

2100-2200 day degrees

2500-2600 day degrees

A grower in Dalby, QLD planted an irrigated crop of cotton on the 11th October 2019 and harvested that crop on the 11th March 2020. During this period, how many days above 36°C did the crop experience? (Hint: Use the Dalby Airport as the reference point for the DDC)

A grower in Gunnedah, NSW is looking to plant an irrigated crop in September/October 2020 but does not want flowering to occur in mid-late summer. Using CSD’s Simulated Time to Estimated First Flower (STEFF) tool, calculate the latest planting date possible, where estimated first flower occurs before the 1st of January 2021.

24th September, 2020

28th September, 2020

10th October, 2020

15th October, 2020

Sicot 812RRF is a core variety with an average seed count of: (Hint: Refer to the CSD website).

Which of these varieties has the highest Verticillium disease ranking? (Hint: refer to the CSD website)

In Australia, sowing to first square is usually (Hint: Use the Day Degree Calculator):

In getting the cotton crop off to a good start, you should:

Select the best seed treatment

Select the right variety and seed treatment

Select the desired plant population to maximise yield

Select the right variety, seed treatment and the desired plant population to maximise yield

Pre-emergent herbicides have several advantages but since the introduction of Roundup Ready varieties, pre-emergent herbicides should no longer be used.

True

False

Over the last 30 years, according to work undertaken by the cotton breeding team, the majority of the yield improvement in cotton has come from:

Better management practices

Improved technology

Better decision-making tools

Variety improvements

The bag label on a bag of cotton seed tells the grower:

After consulting the Statement of Seed Analysis on the CSD website, the grower finds that the warm seed germ for their AusLot is 95% and the seed count is 10,000 seeds per kilogram. The grower should aim to:

Plant to achieve the desired plant population

Plant more seeds per metre

Plant the same plant spacing as he/she normally does

Choose another seed lot to plant

Due to unfavourable conditions a grower had to carryover some seed to the next season. Because the seed was good quality and germination (warm germ = 95%, cool germ = 85%) it is recommended the grower does not need to retest the seed.

True

False

Last season, a grower planted Sicot 714B3F. This season, the grower is planting Sicot 746B3F. The grower should:

Calibrate the planter to deliver more seeds per metre and plant deeper

Calibrate the planter to plant less seeds per metre and plant shallower

Don’t calibrate the planter because variety differences don’t impact on plant population

Calibrate to deliver the appropriate seed quantity to result in the right number of plants established per metre

Not worry about depth as (within reason) most seeds emerge anyway

Prior to planting, a grower should check to ensure:

The tractor is operational at the correct speed

Is the planter calibrated to the correct seeding rate?

Is the planter adjusted for the correct planting depth?

All of the above

To compensate for early insect damage, less disease problems and reduced cost blow outs associated with late sown crops, growers should plant Bollgard 3 varieties early.

True

False

A grower on the Darling Downs, QLD decides to plant when the soil temperature is 18°C at 8.00am (AEST) in early November, into a paddock that was fallow last year, contains minimal stubble load and a has field score rating of 2. What would the grower be expecting of the crop?

The same emergence and disease incidence as previous crops in the field, as none of the variables affect seedling mortality

Higher seedling mortality and maybe a replant, because the variables above contribute to higher disease incidence

Lower seedling mortality and disease incidence because the variables above actually inhibit the development of disease and are an advantage for emergence

Higher mortality and slower emergence because the soil temperature is not warm enough

Vibrance CST is a new seed treatment fungicide from Syngenta. The benefits of Vibrance CST include:

Average plant stands are 4% better than Dynasty CST

Improved early vigour over Dynasty CST

Vibrance CST contains 4 active ingredients that provide the broadest spectrum of disease control

The higher loading of Metalaxyl in Vibrance CST makes it even more potent on some soil diseases

All of the above

According to the FastStart Cotton Establishment Guide, which of the following are some of the variables growers need to consider when deciding on the ideal plant population:

Irrigated or dryland production system

Herbicide resistance

Price of cotton

All of the above

A grower in Hay, NSW has a field condition score of 4, cool air temperatures for the week and expects a plant survival of 65%. The grower is aiming for 10 plants/m to survive from seed planted with an 85% germination rate. The seed has 10,500 seeds/kg seed count. To achieve their optimal stand count the grower needs to plant:

15-16 kg/ha

16-17 kg/ha

17-18 kg/ha

14-15 kg/ha

A grower in Boggabri, NSW planted under some very challenging conditions and has ended up with an establishment rate of 7 plants per metre on average. What should they do?

Replant the field

Leave the field as is and harvest what he can

Replant the parts of the field that are worst

Discuss with his consultant or CSD Extension & Development Agronomist the best course of action as there are a number of other factors to consider

According to the FastStart Cotton Establishment Guide the ideal planting speed and depth combination are:

8-10km/hr and 3cm depth

10-12km/hr and 3cm depth

8-10km/hr and 5cm depth

5-7km/hr and 2cm depth

A grower has an irrigated cotton crop with two wild radish weeds (medium broadleaf weed) per metre of row. According to the FastStart Cotton Establishment Guide, when should the grower spray (based on 1% threshold)?

When the crop is between 125 and 420 day degrees (Base 12 DD)

When the crop is between 142 and 661 day degrees (Base 12 DD)

When the crop is between 137 and 148 day degrees (Base 12 DD)

When the crop is between 109 and 748 day degrees (Base 12 DD)

2021 FastStart Cotton Accreditation Course

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