In the autumn and early winter of 2014, large areas of canola in South Australia, Victoria and southern NSW were heavily infested with green peach aphid (GPA), and many of the infested crops tested positive for beet western yellows virus (BWYV). GRDC TV has compiled a series of three videos that discuss what factors contributed to the GPA outbreak, and key management issues that have been highlighted.
Whilst GPA has not been a major pest in canola crops in the northern region, it is often present in low densities in vegetative – flowering crops. Consequently the lessons that are being learned from the southern region outbreak in 2014 may be critical to the management of GPA and BWYV in the northern region in seasons that favour GPA outbreaks.