PestFacts WA

Final PestFacts WA newsletter for 2023!

Harvesting wheat. Photo courtesy of: DPIRD.

This is the 21st and final issue of the PestFacts WA newsletter for the 2023 growing season. Extra editions may be circulated if extraordinary circumstances occur after this time.

All of this season’s PestFacts WA newsletters can be found at DPIRD’s PestFacts WA newsletter archive.

2023 PestFacts WA statistics

This year the PestFacts WA team received more than 2,500 reports in total (current to 1 November 2023).

What were the top five reported pests?

The PestFacts WA team recorded 1,043 invertebrate pest reports this season. The native budworm was the most reported pest. We recieved 393 reports via the spring trapping program and non-trapping reports. This was followed by the redlegged earth mite (126) and lucerne flea (82). The top five insects reported are listed in Table 1 below.

What were the top five reported plant diseases for 2023?

As of 1 November 2023, there were 436 plant disease reports recorded by the PestFacts WA team from a variety of sources. Spot-form net blotch in barley was the most reported disease (81 reports), followed by Blackleg in canola (52). Table 2, below displays the top five diseases that were most reported.

2023 PestFacts WA map statistics

PestFacts WA map displaying occurrences for all disorders reported for the previous two weeks, current to 10 November 2023. Map courtesy of: DPIRD.

The PestFacts WA map provides a visual display of the pests and diseases reported by members of the grain cropping industry since 1996. Viewers can generate maps based on host, disorder, and time period. They also have the option of viewing a 'same time as last year' map to highlight seasonal commonality or differences.

In 2023, viewers generated an impressive total of 5,123 maps (as of 8 November). This number includes every map generated between each dropdown box selection.

Native budworm (225) and powdery mildew (118) occurrences were the top disorder maps viewed. The other top disorder maps viewed are shown in Table 3 below. These disorders may have been viewed for previous season’s distribution (historical data) as well as this season’s distribution.

Acknowledgements

The PestFacts WA team would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took the time to submit insect, plant disease reports and identification requests this year to the PestFacts WA service.

We would also like to acknowledge the following people and projects for sharing their invertebrate and/or plant disease reports:

• Consenting clients using the Agworld and Back Paddock Adviser apps. This collaboration was made possible through a competitive grant process by DPIRD’s eConnected Grainbelt project that was initiated in 2017.
• DPIRD and GRDC co-funded project titled: Disease surveillance and related diagnostics for the Australian grain industry (Western region) (DAW2104-003RTX).
• DPIRD and GRDC co-funded project titled: Survey of the summer/autumn brassica refuges for diamondback moth in the Western region to predict early season risk of infestation (DAW1905-010RTX).
• DPIRD and GRDC co-funded project titled: Furthering grower knowledge and understanding of the scientifically unidentified 'Dongara weevil' (DAW2212-001 RTX).
• DPIRD and GRDC co-funded project titled: Effective virus management in grains crops (DAW2305-003RTX).

All reports are greatly appreciated, and are vital for PestFacts WA to keep growers and consultants informed and up to date with what is happening across WA.

For more information on the PestFacts WA service please contact PestFacts WA newsletter editor Cindy Webster, Narrogin on +61 (0)8 9881 0201.

Article author: Cindy Webster (DPIRD Narrogin).