A new APVMA permit (PER 93132) allows the use of a spray drift management tool (SDMT) to re-calculate buffer zones to suit your particular situation when applying some pesticides. The SDMT (available as a spreadsheet file) and other relevant documentation (including a video on how to use the calculator) and a copy of PER93132 can be found on the APVMA… Read more »
Recent reports have surfaced that best practice pest management guidelines are not always being followed in winter and spring-planted mungbean and soybean crops. There are reports of some crops in the Burdekin being sprayed unnecessarily for well-below threshold pest populations, and/or being sprayed with no regard for the GRDC’s widely publicised Insecticide Resistance Management Strategy (IRMS) for Helicoverpa armigera. Similar… Read more »
With current rainfall so uncertain, there is the potential for crop failures this season. If these crops are cut for hay, or grazed, it is critical that the withholding period (WHP) of any insecticide treatments are considered. The WHP is the minimum period that needs to elapse between the last use of the product and the harvesting or cutting of… Read more »
A common misconception is that, like humans, pests become more lethargic in hot weather. Unfortunately, the opposite is true—in most cases warmer weather actually speeds up pest growth with pests reaching a damaging size and pest populations increasing more quickly. Also, hot weather is often associated with little or no rain. And rain, particularly heavy rain, can suppress aphid, mite… Read more »
While agrochemicals are an important component of many pest management programs, care must be taken to ensure that any spray operations use registered products that are applied according to the product label. The manager of an Emerald farm has recently been fined $10,000, pleading guilty to a breach of the Chemical Usage (Agriculture &Veterinary) Control Act 1988 after significant levels… Read more »
Determining stored pest status in a silo full of grain can be a bit like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack, but a pilot study by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries on two farms in Southern Queensland indicated that a combination of sampling methods may provide a more accurate picture of pest species present. Increasing on-farm storage… Read more »
Aeration cooling uses fans on grain storages to lower grain temperatures, which helps maintain grain quality and reduce storage pest problems. When cooling grain using aeration, the aim is to reduce and keep grain temperatures below the following seasonal targets: Winter crops (stored November-March): below 23°C Summer crops (stored April-September): below 15°C Most insect storage pests prefer temperatures from 25-35°C… Read more »
Over the past few years the Queensland DAFF entomology team has led a team of national collaborators to develop an exciting new national ‘IPM guidelines for grains’ website. The website focuses on the major grain crops and their pests, and includes a range of supporting information to guide users in making pest management decisions.
