Spring is in the air, and as farmers would know, so too are all manner of flying and crawling insects with the potential to cause harm to ripening crops.
But before reaching for the insecticide, farmers are now being encouraged to think about the ecological and economic impact of their spray decision.
Agriculture Victoria, Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, researcher Dr Piotr Trebicki said that if pest populations were low or there were good numbers of beneficials, farmers could potentially be wasting their money by deciding to spray.
“When it comes to pests such as aphids, which transmit diseases into the crops, the time of aphid flights and the aphid number is important especially early in the growing season. ” he said.
Agritech Rural agronomist Simon Severin said as well as monitoring paddocks for pests such as aphids, army worm and cut worm, it was also important that farmers were able to identify any beneficials such as hoverflies, lady bugs and parasitic wasps which will potentially do a better job on the pests than insecticide.
“There are certainly instances where spraying is warranted, but it is important to know what the thresholds are so that farmers can make informed decisions about the likely return on investment,” he said.
Dr Trebicki and Mr Severin will speak more about pest control at the BCG Main Field Day at Warmur on September 14.
As well as outlining opportunities for integrated pest management they will talk to farmers about proactive and reactive management of pests and give an update on pests to look out for this spring.
Mr Severin said preventative measures such as systemic seed treatments could go some way towards protecting crops from pests, as did management practices such as weed control which reduces habitat and helps to limit population build up.
“But particularly in a good seasons, such as the one we are having, conditions are likely to be conducive to pests, and reactive practices can be the best option,” he said.
“This includes the use of contact and systemic insecticides.”
Mr Severin said that when it came to pest control the most profitable decisions considered all the information at hand including pest and beneficial populations in the paddock, the cost of spraying (including crop taken out by wheel tracks), the value of the crop and the current and forecast climatic conditions.
The 2016 BCG Main Field Day is at Warmur (18kms south west of Birchip on the Warracknabeal-Birchip road), from 9am to 5pm on September 14.
Entry is free for BCG members and $50 for non-members, with breakfast (from 8.15am) and lunch available for purchase on site (proceeds towards the Birchip P-12 School Cambodia project).
This article was published in the Stock and Land on September 8, 2016.