The Australian vegetable industry, aided by Hort Innovation, is ramping up the fight against fall armyworm through a nationally coordinated program to reduce the pest’s population and its impact. Delivered through Hort Innovation and led by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland, the $2.1 mln initiative will arm vegetable growers with the tools and knowledge they need to wage war on the pest.
Fall armyworm was first detected in Australia in the Torres Strait in January 2020 and has since spread to every state and territory except South Australia. The pest is known to feed on more than 350 different plant species, including fruits and vegetables, and can travel up to 400 km a night.
Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield: “This program will accelerate our response towards the pest by rapidly bringing cutting edge science into vegetable growers’ management tool kits, developing best practice guidelines for vegetable growers and ensuring these are communicated widely.”
Source: horticulture.com.au
