CSIRO Plant Industry's cotton breeding team on 6 September, won Innovate Australia's Australian Government Prize for Rural Innovation from hundreds of rural innovation contenders Australia-wide.

Presented at Parliament House in Canberra by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Mark Vaile, the award for excellence in rural research and development was accepted by Dr Jeremy Burdon, Chief of CSIRO Plant Industry.

“Our cotton breeding team, currently led by Dr Greg Constable in Narrabri, have been at the forefront of their area of research for over twenty years and it is wonderful to see them acknowledged,” says Dr Burdon.

“Every year they produce new regionally adapted cotton varieties with higher yields, better quality fibre and improved pest and disease resistance – last season 14 new varieties were released.”

The team also led the introduction of GM insect resistant cotton, both Ingard® and Bollgard® II, into Australia with the latter now reducing pesticide use by over 80 per cent.

The Rewards from Innovation night celebrated 16 short listed innovations which included not only CSIRO Plant Industry's cotton breeding team, but also the cotton industry's Best Management Practice program.

Each innovation contending the award provided benefits to the Australian community, the economy, human health and lifestyle, international standing and the sustainability of rural industries.

“Support and partnership with the cotton industry including growers, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, the Australian Cotton Cooperative Research Centre and organisations including Cotton Seed Distributors have made our cotton breeding work possible,” Dr Burdon says.

“It is estimated that every dollar invested into our cotton breeding research returns $86 to the Australian cotton industry.”

A review of the CSIRO's cotton breeding and biotechnology program by three international experts in 2004 also confirmed it as one of the most successful of its type in the world.