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Native budworm (Helicoverpa punctigera) larvae are a major pest of a variety of crops during spring to early summer. They feed on buds, flowers, fruiting parts and seeds. They attack field pea, faba bean, lentil, chickpea, lupin and canola crops as well as pasture seed crops of lucerne, annual medic and clover.
Each year, the Victorian Department of Primary Industries monitors native budworm activity across Victoria. Samples are collected with traps that work by attracting male H. punctigera moths using baits that mimic the female moth sex pheromone. The traps are very specific to native budworm, and as such, provide a good indication of the timing of moth flights from central Australia and how these compare with previous years. This information gives advance notice of incoming flights and when to be on the lookout for early-mid instar larvae.
There are more than a dozen traps across the state that will be used this season to provide timely information and warnings of moth activity. This information will no longer be distributed through the previous Budworm Bulletin, but included in subsequent editions of PestFacts-southeastern. Therefore, regular updates and vital information of native budworm moth numbers for the remaining season will be provided as part of this service.
For further information about the native budworm pheromone trapping project, contact Michelle Pardy (Victoria DPI) on 03 5871 0600 or by email: michelle.pardy@dpi.vic.gov.au.
Remember, moth numbers, and the subsequent generation of grubs, will vary between regions and paddocks, so monitoring remains the best way to determine the risk they pose to individual crops.
What is PestFacts?
PestFacts south-eastern keeps growers and advisers informed about invertebrate pests and beneficials in broadacre crops and pastures during the winter-cropping season in Victoria and southern New South Wales.
PestFacts south-eastern is run through IPMforGrains: Best Practice Insect Pest Management, a project delivered by the National Pest Information Network (cesar, DPIRD, QDAF, NSW DPI, and SARDI). This project aims to provide grain growers and advisors with information on invertebrate grain pest occurrence and equip industry with the knowledge needed to implement integrated pest management practices. This initiative is a GRDC investment and includes in-kind contributions from all project partner organisations.
We need your reports
PestFacts is produced on an ʻas-needsʼ basis and relies upon pest observations and field reports from our subscribers. If you have recently observed invertebrate pests (or beneficial species) in broadacre crops, please contact us to report your observations.
Agricultural invertebrate identification
If you are a grower or agronomist in Victoria or NSW working with broadacre crops or pastures, we can assist you with identifying invertebrates found on farms at no cost. Please contact us for identification help.
PestFacts map
PestFacts map is an interactive tool that allows users to search and view historical pest reports across Victoria and NSW. The map is updated with each issue of PestFacts to include new reports.
How to acknowledge PestFacts?
With appropriate acknowledgement, cesar grants permission to reproduce information taken directly from PestFacts. To cite PestFacts: “PestFacts south-eastern (<<enter date published>>). cesar pty ltd.”
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