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The cotton industry is evolving – climate, market demand, management processes and technology advancements necessitate Australian growers and CSD to remain on the front foot, growing a high-quality product that’s sought after, sustainable and profitable.
That’s why we’ve invested in developing new varieties, built for the conditions you face. The Try Before You Buy trials arm you with local variety performance data and insights to help inform your on-farm decision making and plant new seed varieties with confidence.
2026 Season | Macquarie | Trial No. 2026082
Sicala 320B3XF & Sicot 743BXF Try Before You Buy
‘Jedburgh’, Warren NSW
Key takeaway
- Solid performance by the Sicala 320B3XF.
- Irrigations were modified to cope with seasonal weather.
- Both varieties grew out of early season thrips pressure.
System
Irrigated
Solid 1m
Rainfall
112mm
11 irrigations
Top yield
16.9 b/ha
Sicala 320B3XF
Trial snapshot
| Trial No. | 2026082 |
| Planting date | 30 September 2025 |
| Picking date | 15 April 2026 |
| Previous crop | Long fallow wheat |
| Varieties | Sicala 320B3XF & Sicot 743B3XF |
Season & field summary
The crop established well, but was then damaged by thrips. Grew out of it and flowered through January, when it hit the hot weather. The Sicot 743B3XF was a little later in maturing and had a lower boll count at cut out. Defoliation and picking was under good conditions and yields were good.
Charlies Coles presenting at ‘Jebdurgh’ trial in Janaury 2026.
The Sicala 320B3XF has blown everything else out of the water!
It’s been a dry and at times hot season with very little useful rainfall in crop. We kept our irrigations up and did not miss one. We did shorten them slightly during the hot snap at the end of January into February and it paid off, in terms of holding the fruit that was there.
The end of the season provided good conditions for defoliation and picking and the gin results were great. The yield was back slightly on the Sicot 743B3XF and we did have two split modules, but I don’t think that made too much difference. Be interesting to see how the variety trial compares.
Trial results
TBYB yield results from ‘Jedburgh’, Warren NSW. Results are from commercial ginning and CSD 25 saw quality.
Yield & fibre quality comparison
| Variety | Yield | Staple length (imp) | Strength (g/tex) | Micronaire | Lint turnout (%) |
| Sicala 320B3XF | 16.9 | 1.26 | 33.6 | 3.6 | 43 |
| Sicot 743B3XF | 15.1 | 1.24 | 33.1 | 3.95 | 42.7 |
Agronomy insights
This was a dry and at times hot season, which highlighted the importance of irrigation decisions and management. There was early season thrips pressure on the crops, from which they recovered, and some late season mirid activity.
Fit & management considerations
Sicot 743B3XF fared well under this dry season and some of the in-crop assessments highlighted its full season requirements to maximise the varieties potential. Against it, under this fields management, the Sicala 320B3XF yielded better and produced some impressive fibre. Both varieties remain a good choice for the Macquarie but use this case study alongside broader regional data when considering large area changes.
