Fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) is an exotic pest that was detected in northern Queensland in a maize crop in February 2020. State and federal biosecurity organisations have determined it to be unfeasible to eradicate this pest and it is now classified as an endemic pest. Originating from tropical and sub-tropical areas of the Americas, FAW was reported in Africa… Read more »
Every year the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries runs a Helicoverpa spp. pheromone trapping program for the Northern Grains Region to detect flights of Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa punctigera in important cropping areas. The trap network provides growers and agronomists with a warning system for potential egg-lay in susceptible crops. Although very few crops were planted this season due… Read more »
Are Russian wheat aphids (RWA) still moving north? No detections of RWA in crops have been received this year, and no detections from outside the already known distribution area. The most northerly detections to date (2018) were from Coonamble and Coonabarabran. We expect RWA to move further north every year and knowing where they are will help you prepare. Now… Read more »
The yearly Helicoverpa spp. pheromone trapping program for the Northern Grains Region, run by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), has recently commenced. During the first few weeks of trap catches, trap operators have detected flights of both H. punctigera and H. armigera in pheromone traps across the Northern Region (Table 1). Table 1. Latest Helicoverpa spp. pheromone… Read more »
While drought has dashed the planned rotations of many growers, there is still a risk of pest outbreaks at this time of year. Below are some of the most common to keep an eye out for. A note on withholding periods following insecticide use in crops that are diverted to stock If insecticide treatments have been applied to crops which… Read more »
Armyworm infestations of barley crops, in particular, are being reported from southern NSW to the Darling Downs. Large numbers of moths are also being seen around lights at night. It is not unexpected that armyworm would be abundant this spring as some of their source areas (Channel Country, North Western Queensland) would have received significant rainfall or flows earlier in… Read more »
Green lacewing larvae are generalist predators, and are important natural enemies of a range of pests including aphids, helicoverpa, whitefly and mealybugs. There are many species of green lacewings in Australia, including some that commonly occur in field crops. Readers are most likely to be familiar with Mallada signatus, which regularly features in ID guides, but another species, Plesiochyrsa ramburi… Read more »
After the introduction of Bt cotton in the 1990s, the focus of cotton pest management has shifted to sucking pests. Green and brown mirid (Creontiades spp.) damage can occur at any stage, from seedling to boll filling, although crops are usually attacked before peak flowering. Feeding damage (including terminal death, abscission of young squares and bolls, and lint damage in… Read more »
Significant soybean aphid (Aphis glycines) populations have now been observed in many coastal soybean crops. Once the crop approaches late flowering, a spray decision must be made as later aphid infestations can severely delay harvest maturity. Careful monitoring is required to determine if populations are trending upwards to and beyond threshold levels, or if the aphids are being contained by… Read more »
With cotton crops approaching cut-out, it’s time to make critical decisions regarding silverleaf whitefly (SLW) management. Recent hot weather has seen SLW numbers increase in many areas—indicating that a number of fields are likely to require control action soon. SLW has evolved to become one of the most complex insects to manage in a cotton system because we are essentially controlling… Read more »
