A new pest in Victoria, Fall Armyworm (FAW), was discussed in detail at a forum in Lindenow last month, with producers able to bring samples for testing.
FAW is a highly invasive and destructive caterpillar native to tropical and subtropical regions, however, has recently been sighted in the colder areas of Victoria.
It is not yet known if FAW will be able to persist over winter due to colder temperatures.
EE Muir & Sons senior agronomist, Andrew Whitbourne, Lindenow, was one of the event organisers and said it attracted up to 30 farmers from across Gippsland.
“We had a good segment of growers at the session, vegetable producers and also maize producers from Tinamba and South Gippsland,” Mr Whitbourne said.
“We’ve seen FAW in the field here over the past two seasons and they’ve had it damage maize in South Gippsland last year.
“It prevails on wind and has come down from Queensland.”
An AusVeg study which is monitoring for the pest is also looking into understanding the weather patterns that bring on an infestation.
Mr Whitbourne has eight traps that will go out into paddocks next week and usually will be taken in again in April.
“We’re trying to work out what the picture will look like for East Gippsland growers,” he said.
“If we get more numbers in the traps, we’ll look at the weather patterns whether it’s a northerly or an easterly wind that’s bringing them.
“There’s debate about whether our frosty weather will reduce their numbers.
“Our sweet corn growers already spray for heliothis and that chemical will combat FAW, but the maize growers who are using it for silage or dairy production don’t spray so they’re working out a plan.”
Agriculture Victoria Gippsland horticulture program coordinator, Scott Botten, said FAW was considered established in Australia after being found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, New South Wales and at a single location in East Gippsland in December 2020.
“Fall Armyworm is known to feed on more than 350 plant species, including maize, cotton, rice, sorghum, sugarcane, wheat and many other vegetable and fruit crops,” Mr Botten said.
Mr Botten pest numbers can increase quickly due to their fast reproductive cycle, with adult moths capable of flying long distances and spreading via storm events.
“Young caterpillars feed on leaves, creating pinholes and giving a tattered appearance, while mature caterpillars can cause extensive damage by grazing on leaf stems and trunks and tunnelling into fruit.”
