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Agronomist, Jim Cronin (Landmark), reports that Rutherglen bugs (Nysius vinitor) have been observed in several canola crops near Forbes, in the Central West Slopes and Plains district of NSW. They have been seen in numbers of about 30 per square metre, causing cupping of leaves and retardation of emerging seedlings. Although the bugs have been found across the entire paddocks, Jim says the highest numbers have been observed along crop perimeters. Agronomist, Sandy Biddulph (Biddulph Rural Consulting), has also observed immature Rutherglen bugs around Cootamundra, in the South West Slopes of NSW.
The Rutherglen bug is a common native insect that attacks a wide range of weed and crop hosts, including sunflowers, linseed, canola, wheat, sorghum, safflower and lucerne. Although they are generally observed in spring, agronomist Paul Parker (NSW DPI) says Rutherglen bugs can be a sporadic pest in autumn. In some seasons, Rutherglen bugs can reach plague proportions, typically when the senescence of weed hosts in spring and early summer forces adults and nymphs into nearby crops.
Adults are 4 mm long, have clear wings and are narrow bodied. They are grey-brown in colour, have two prominent black eyes and are very mobile. Immature Rutherglen bugs are dark red and more swollen in shape than adults. They are sap suckers and damage to susceptible plants is similar to that caused by aphids.
Rutherglen bugs can be controlled by removing weeds they use as hosts and by ploughing a deep furrow around the crop, which prevents wingless individuals migrating from weeds. As Rutherglen bugs can readily reinvade a sprayed area, insecticide application will not guarantee a clean crop.
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.
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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.
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