Working together to combat fall armyworm

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 ravenous pest is known to feed on more than 350 different plant species and can travel up to 400km a night — making it challenging to curb its geographical spread. The pest destroys vegetable crops, reducing yield and profitability for growers.

When fall armyworm first arrived in 2020, Hort Innovation leveraged our strong, collaborative relationships with other plant-based industries to support growers who were impacted. Industry’s cooperative approach to fall armyworm has continued over the past few years as the focus turns to long-term research, development and extension (RD&E) for managing the pest.

Since the incursion, Hort Innovation has invested more than $13 million in a host of initiatives to combat the pest, such as identifying potential predators, researching pheromones to aid in the development of baits for monitoring and trapping, developing a molecular test for identification and a podcast series with international experts.

We are working to strengthen industry readiness for existing and emerging threats through investments that support the development of on-farm biosecurity plans and pathways to business recovery in the event of biosecurity incursions. Projects like the Vegetable industry biosecurity and business continuity strategy are leading the way for preparedness, response, and recovery.

Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield said that it is crucial to get growers on the front foot when it comes to monitoring for and managing fall armyworm.

“Fall armyworm is here to stay, so we are collaborating with industry, researchers and government to equip growers with what they need to reduce the pest’s impact while remaining productive and profitable,” Mr Fifield said.

“This portfolio of investments will accelerate our response towards the pest by rapidly bringing cutting edge science into growers’ management tool kits, developing best practice guidelines for growers and ensuring these are communicated widely.”

Let’s take a look at how Hort Innovation is partnering with industry, researchers, and government agencies to equip industry to combat the pest

National fall armyworm innovation system for the Australian vegetable industry (VG22006) delivers a nationally coordinated program to reduce fall armyworms' impact on the vegetable industry by arming growers with tools and knowledge. Delivered by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland, the program brings research and experience insights into fall armyworm management from across the globe into on-farm demonstration sites within Australian vegetable growing regions.

The industry demonstration and engagement activities are underpinned by world-class research to ensure the vegetable industry is getting the most up to date information available.

Find out more here.

Effective fall armyworm pheromone blends for improved monitoring and population estimation in Australia (AS21000) is investigating the geographical variation of the sex pheromone in fall armyworm populations in Australia. Delivered by Macquarie University, this information will assist in optimising pheromone blends in lures for monitoring and mass trapping and application in mating disruption.

Find out more here.

Management options for reducing the reliance on insecticides for fall armyworm in sweetcorn (VG23006) is providing vegetable growers with reliable crop monitoring methods and a broad suite of tactics to reduce frequency of insecticide applications and ensure ongoing viability sweet corn and capsicum production in high-risk fall armyworm regions.

Delivered by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland, the project will deliver a range of outputs to improve growers’ understanding of non-chemical management options for fall armyworm and their practical implementation.

Find out more here.

Vegetable industry biosecurity and business continuity strategy (VG22004) is developing a biosecurity strategy for the vegetable industry, providing an adaptable, flexible approach to preparing for, and responding to the arrival of high-priority exotic pests and assisting with the initial monitoring and management of pests that are still establishing.

Delivered by AUSVEG, this project is equipping growers with tools to detect and respond to pest threats effectively, ensuring a resilient industry. With collaboration from key partners, including Plant Health Australia and state biosecurity agencies, the program focuses on surveillance, data-driven decision-making, and business resilience.

Find out more here.

Identifying potential parasitoids of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, and the risk to Australian horticulture (MT19015) examined potential parasitoids of fall armyworm and delivered extension materials to growers on how to effectively manage the pest.

Delivered by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland, the research team identified parasitoid species present in horticultural crops and provided recommendations on potential candidates for future biological control of fall armyworm. They also provided local information on established locations, host range, infestation levels on horticultural crops and damage patterns.

Find out more here.

Field-based testing for fall armyworm (MT19014) developed a rapid molecular test for use in the field for early detection and identification of fall armyworm (FAW).

Delivered by the Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, the project:

• Facilitated the rapid identification of fall armyworm in regional Australia through in-field testing across multiple horticultural areas.
• Increased awareness of in-field testing in regional Australia, especially northern Australia. This included engaging with biosecurity and growers to demonstrate the testing.
• Improved knowledge of technological requirements in regional Australia to allow the rollout of this technology for fall armyworm detection and surveillance.

 Find out more here.

Co-developing and extending integrated fall armyworm management systems for the Australian vegetable industry (VG20003) supported the vegetable industry in managing fall armyworm by developing a strategy for affected regions and regions that may experience an incursion in the future.

Delivered by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland, the program improved the vegetable industry’s understanding of fall armyworm biology and seasonal patterns, minimised the use of ineffective chemistries and provided information on new generation chemistries, improved understanding of endemic natural enemies of fall armyworm and increased knowledge of the insecticide resistance levels of fall armyworm.

The project team used a collaborative approach to bring together knowledge and experience in managing fall armyworm across industries. It developed a communications and extension strategy to increase fall armyworm knowledge and deliver the latest information to industry.

Find out more here.

Looking for more information on fall armyworm?

Head to the Fall Armyworm eHub at daf.engagementhub.com.au/fallarmyworm to engage with the latest fall armyworm (FAW) RD&E activities for horticulture:

• Read the latest news updates on FAW management, moth activities and seasonal patterns, and insecticide resistance results
• Access FAW RD&E resources
• Engage in discussion, report on FAW activities, ask a question and provide feedback
• Find FAW-related event information.