CROPPING

Unprecedented fall armyworm activity prompts webinar

THE Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) will host a webinar this Friday showcasing tactics and tips for control, and best practice management advice on the invasive pest fall armyworm (FAW).

Staff writer
 The GRDC is hosting a webinar this Friday on fall armyworm. Image: Megan Pope.

The GRDC is hosting a webinar this Friday on fall armyworm. Image: Megan Pope.

The free webinar will include input from experts and is in response to FAW being detected at unprecedented levels in sorghum crops across the northern grain growing region.

The webinar will feature insights and information on FAW management strategies from leading experts in the field including Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) principal entomologist, Dr Melina Miles, and Dr Joe Eyre from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI).

Dr Miles' and Dr Eyre's work is part of a GRDC investment aimed at developing reliable FAW yield loss predictions, economic control thresholds and management guidelines for sorghum and maize. The project brings together the expertise of entomologists, agronomists, biometricians and modellers to develop FAW management guidelines for Australian grain growers.

Nutrien agronomist, Ross Pomroy, will also share his firsthand experiences with the evolution of management strategies over the past three years, highlighting the increasing populations of FAW and its unprecedented impact on crops in the Darling Downs, Queensand, region.

GRDC grower relations manager, Rebecca Raymond, said the webinar is a great opportunity for growers to receive expert advice on FAW.

"The issue for many sorghum growers is the cost of control measures and likely return on investment," Raymond said.

"When faced with complexity it pays to get expert advice and we are fortunate to have Melina Miles, Joe Eyre and Ross Pomroy talking to growers via our webinar this Friday."

More details on FAW can be found here: https://bit.ly/49GtWZq

To for the webinar, visit: https://bit.ly/3wjqKEx

The Queensland government also has an information hub which canbe found here: https://daf.engagementhub.com.au/fallarmyworm

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