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False wireworms (Family: Tenebrionidae) have been identified for consultant, Matt McLoughlan (JSA Independent), who found the grubs in a wheat crop east of Warracknabeal, in the Wimmera district of Victoria. Matt reported that the damage was severe, with evidence of larvae chewing on plant roots and shoots. Damage was typically concentrated along drill rows, where larvae could be easily found upon close inspection.
False wireworms may affect all winter-sown crops and are mostly found in paddocks with high stubble and crop litter contents. There are a large and varied number of species, including the grey false wireworm, the eastern false wireworm and the southern false wireworm. Species are similar in appearance with larvae generally growing between 10-50 mm long, with a hardened cylindrical body. They are relatively fast moving and golden brown to black-brown or grey in colour. They have a pair of prominent spines on the last body segment.
False wireworm larvae chew into the seedling stem and roots, weakening the plant or ring-barking the stem. The injury to the seedlings makes them susceptible to dehydration and infection by disease. Feeding damage is often most severe when germination is slowed by continued dry weather. There is evidence suggesting that stubble retention and minimum tillage are contributing to the build-up of false wireworm populations in southeastern Australia.
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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