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Consultant, Simon Mock (Clovercrest Consulting), has reported issues with cutworms attacking several seedling lucerne paddocks east of Frances, in the Wimmera district of Victoria. Simon says the cutworms have chewed off leaves and caused some ‘windowing’ damage on the leaf surface. The extent of damage in one paddock is minimal, but the other two paddocks have suffered considerable attack. Simon says chemical control is likely to be warranted in these instances.
There are several species of cutworm (Agrotis spp.) that attack field crops. The caterpillars are hairless, generally plump, greasy in appearance and smooth bodied. Most species are without obvious stripes and have uniform colouring, ranging from pinkish brown to black. They grow to 40-50 mm long and when disturbed curl up and remain stiff as a defensive response. They are nocturnal and during the day the caterpillars hide under clods of soil or bury themselves in the soil. Moths vary in colour from dull brown to black, with wingspans ranging from 30-50 mm. Click here for images of cutworm moths.
Cutworms attack cereals, pulses, oilseeds, lucerne and pastures. Caterpillars feed at ground level chewing through leaves and stems. Stems are often cut off at the base, hence the name ‘cutworm’. Crops are most susceptible between autumn and early spring, although damage can occur throughout the year, especially in irrigated crops. When caterpillar numbers are high, crops can be severely thinned. Young plants are favoured and are more adversely affected than older plants. If considering chemical control, spraying late in the afternoon or in the evening is likely to be more effective.
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.
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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.
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