Growing profit from the ground up

Pasture Improvement Initiative

Pest management

Pasture pests can impact significantly on both pasture production and pasture persistence.  The key to effective pest control is to understanding the breeding cycle of each pest population and develop a strategic control program, rather than just aiming to control active adults at any one time.

Analysis of life cycles helps identify the critical timing for pesticide applications and avoid dormant populations re-emerging.

During the coming months the Pasture improvement Initiative will be collating the most up-to-date information on pasture pest identification an management options to produce a range of pasture pest species snapshots.  Each snapshot will include full-colour images and pests descriptions to make identification easy and a breakdown of the key current recommendations for control.

In the meantime, check out the following resources and websites to ensure you are only feeding your livestock and not sharing feed with unwanted visitors.

Smartphone applications and pest identification and support services

MyPestGuide app (DAFWA)
MyPestGuide app provides an identification guide to allow users to quickly search for a pest according to the pasture or crop it’s found in, the damage observed, its type or size. The photo reporting tool allows users to easily create and send a report direct to DAFWA and receive a response on their device.
The MyPestGuide App was developed by the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA) with funding from Council of Grain Grower Organisations (COGGO).

pest IQ

pestIQ is a multi-tiered service for agronomists, advisors and growers in south-eastern Australia. It equips users with highly effective tools, information and support for controlling invertebrate pests in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Central to pestIQ is an online web-based service, which allows users to quickly access an array of information on pest and beneficial insects found in broad-acre pasture, cereal, oilseed and pulse crops. This information is strategically linked to information on insect monitoring, insecticides and pest management advice.

PestFacts (south-eastern Australia)

PestFacts subscribers provide pest reports and field observations on the appearance and distribution of invertebrate pests across south-eastern Australia. cesar uses this information to regularly produce the PestFacts newsletter and provide advice and recommendations to hundreds of individuals, organisations and businesses working with broad-acre crops and pastures.

PestFacts subscribers also benefit from special access to cesar’s extensive Insect Gallery which you can use to improve your identification of pest and beneficial insects.

Insect Identification Service (cesar)

cesar’s Insect Identification Service is a fast and reliable way of positively identifying beneficial and pest insects.

Publications:

Pests of Field Crops and Pasture Identification and Control (CSIRO)

Websites:

The National Invertebrate Pest Initiative (NIPI)
The NIPI brings together scientists from state government departments, universities, farmer groups and CSIRO to address pest management issues in the Australian grains industry.
It is supported by growers and the Australian Federal Government through the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), and aims to support the grains industry in adopting more sustainable approaches to invertebrate pest management.
The website also provides information on a wide range of pests applicable to pastures.

A–Z insect pest list (DAFF Queensland )