While soybeans are more likely to be attacked by helicoverpa from flowering onwards, severe infestations can occur as early as the seedling stage. In recent years, severe early infestations have been reported on the Downs and in the coastal Burnett with the affected crops experiencing significant yield losses. The latest published thresholds for helicoverpa in vegetative soybeans (Rogers and Brier,… Read more »
However, in some years, very high pest activity results in more severe cob damage, with larvae often tunnelling into the sides of cobs. In such cases grain samples may contain fungus-affected grains and mycotoxins, causing a downgrade in the quality of harvested grain.
Outbreaks of mealybugs have recently been reported from a number of cotton farms in central Queensland. While mealybugs are considered a minor pest of cotton, they have, on rare occasions, reached minor outbreak levels or ‘hotspots’ in commercial crops in central Queensland
Just when you thought things were going along pretty well, something else pops out of the woodwork to bring you back down to earth. Some cotton consultants and their grower clients are concerned about the high numbers of thrips in their young cotton seedlings. Are they are problem? Do we need to control them?
Every year we receive reports of white heads in wheat, and while there are several possible causes of this symptom, one suspect implicated in the crime is a small stem boring larva called Ephysteris silignitis (Turner) belonging to the moth Family Gelechiidae.
The quick finish for winter cereals this season has resulted in the majority of crops escaping infestations of armyworm. Headers are already into some fields, but there are reports of armyworm making their presence felt in some of the later crops.
The Resistance Roadshow visited regional areas during late August and presented the latest resistance monitoring results for a suite of important pests. Presentations covered resistance to conventional insecticides in cotton aphids, mites, silverleaf whitefly and helicoverpa, and helicoverpa resistance to the Bt toxins in Bollgard II.
With the approach of spring, helicoverpa start to become active. In CQ, chickpea crops are attractive to moths, and it is timely to revisit some of the key points related to making decisions about control of this pest in crops.In this article, I wanted to discuss a couple of the recommendations which some growers and agronomists have found a bit… Read more »
The most critical issues we face in managing cereal aphids currently is the lack of local knowledge about the likely impact of infestations on yield and quality (the damage thresholds). (http://thebeatsheet-ipmnews.blogspot.com/2008/09/cereal-aphids-in-wheat-and-barley.html).
In recent days we have received a number of reports of slater activity in winter cereal crops in southern Queensland and northern NSW. Slaters are not generally regarded as a pest of broad acre agriculture and tend to feed on decaying vegetation and dead animal matter. Overall they perform an important recycling role in the environment however on rare occasions… Read more »