The changing status of invertebrate pests and the future of pest management in the Australian grains industry

Abstract

The Australian grains industry is dealing with a shifting complex of invertebrate pests due to evolving management practices and climate change as indicated by an assessment of pest reports over the last 20-30 years. A comparison of pest outbreak reports from the early 1980s to 2006-07 from south-eastern Australia highlights a decrease in the importance of pea weevils and armyworms, while the lucerne flea, Balaustium mites, blue oat mites and Bryobia mites have increased in prominence. In Western Australia, where detailed outbreak records are available from the mid 1990s, the relative incidence of armyworms, aphids and vegetable weevils has recently decreased, while the incidence of pasture ..