NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW DPIRD) scientists are ramping up an insecticide resistance surveillance project to combat the destructive fall armyworm.
The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has invested in a three-year project which aims to support sustainable management of major insect pests in grains throughout key growing regions of eastern Australia.
In a joint offensive across state lines, the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (QDPI) is collecting insect samples from the field and sending them to the NSW DPIRD Tamworth Agricultural Institute where researchers are testing them against a range of insecticides to determine resistance levels.
NSW DPIRD Entomologist Dr Lisa Bird said while there is currently no resistance to insecticides which are highly selective for fall armyworm, managing insecticide resistance is a high priority for the grains industry.
"In Australia we have a range of insecticides that are very effective in the battle against the fall armyworm and other caterpillar pests such as the corn earworm," Dr Bird said.
"If we start to mismanage the use of those insecticides and fall armyworm develops insensitivity to those products, that will be devastating for industries that rely on them for crop management in grains, with cross-industry impacts felt in other production systems like horticulture and pastures.
"We've seen it happen globally, because when fall armyworm arrived here it carried a legacy of resistance selection from insecticide exposure in other countries."
Since fall armyworm was first detected in Australia five years ago, it has attacked summer grain crops, particularly maize and sorghum, in key growing areas of New South Wales and Queensland.
Fall armyworm moths are strong flyers and will travel hundreds of kilometres on weather fronts. The larvae can also be spread in cut flower, fruit and vegetable consignments.
Dr Bird said the relatively recent incursion meant that researchers needed more time to understand the insect's impact on crops and pastures.
"We are yet to fully understand the range of crops that are vulnerable to fall armyworm, and we are collaborating with researchers at Macquarie University to develop knowledge around the insect's migratory capacity and the impacts of climate and seasonality."
She said the new GRDC project will support proactive measures to manage resistance and reduce the risk of lost productivity for grain producers due to reduced efficacy of insecticides.
"We need to be on the front foot and surveillance is our first line of defence in combating resistance outbreaks in fall armyworm through early detection and pre-emptive management," she said.
GRDC Manager Pests Dr Leigh Nelson said the investment is about protecting growers' options now and into the future.
"By monitoring resistance early and across regions, we can help ensure the insecticides growers rely on remain effective, safeguard productivity in crops like maize and sorghum, and reduce the risk of wider impacts across the grains industry," Dr Nelson said.
The project aims to deliver targeted pest management strategies that reduce the risk of resistance-driven control failures, and a range of other consequences associated with pesticide overuse including environmental and commodity contamination, secondary pest outbreaks, and an escalation of community concerns regarding risks to human health and safety.
Visit the NSW DPIRD website for information on managing fall armyworm.
