What land and water resources are used in Australian cotton production?
Cotton production is localised, and the product is predominantly grown in inland regions of Australia from central inland Queensland to southern New South Wales. Cotton is grown predominantly in areas of variable rainfall, high temperatures and high evaporation. The crop is a not tolerant crop to the vagaries of the weather of inland Australia, and many production areas have irrigation sources to supplement rainfall. Cotton is grown mainly on fertile deep alluvial dark clay soils, with limited areas grown on moderately deep duplex soils. The landscape supporting the cotton industry is consistently flat, with major production areas restricted generally to flatter alluvial areas. Historically, the cotton industry has competed for the productive soil and water resources with other rural industries such as grains and horticulture. In addition, river ecosystem requirements are also competing for water allocation to maintain river function. In 1998, the Australian cotton industry production