Lots of talk about cotton being a thirsty crop. But what do the data say?

In the North of Australian, cotton is a potentially valuable crop, given the availability of irrigation in North Western Australia near Kununarra, and the potential for insect protection with double-stacked traits in GM Bollgard II varieties.

The issues about deliberate release of these varieties are under debate, and one of the talking points is how thirsty the crop is.

At 7.5 megalitres /hectare of irrigation demand, cotton seems a lot better than say, maize, sugar or bananas.