Final PestFax newsletter for 2021!
This is the 21st and final issue of the PestFax newsletter for the 2021 growing season. Extra editions may be circulated if extraordinary circumstances occur after this time.
All of this season’s PestFax newsletters can be found at DPIRD’s PestFax newsletter archive.
2021 PestFax statistics
This year the PestFax team received nearly 2800 reports in total (current to 3 November 2021).
What were the top five reported pests?
The PestFax team received 1056 invertebrate pest reports. The native budworm was the most reported pest with 452 reports received via the spring trapping program and non-trapping reports. This was followed by the Australian plague locust (83) and diamondback moth (76). The top five insects reported are listed in Table 1, below.
| Insect | Number of reports |
|---|---|
| Native budworm- trapping and non-trapping reports | 452 |
| Australian plague locust | 83 |
| Diamondback moth | 76 |
| Russian wheat aphid | 71 |
| Green peach aphid | 60 |
What were the top five reported plant diseases for 2021?
As of 3 November 2021, there were nearly 500 plant disease reports recorded by the PestFax team from a variety of sources. Spot-type net blotch in barley was the most reported disease (72 reports), followed by Septoria nodorum blotch in wheat (56). Table 2, below, displays the other diseases that were most commonly reported.
| Disease | Number of reports |
|---|---|
| Spot-type net blotch of barley | 72 |
| Septoria nodorum blotch in wheat | 56 |
| Net-type net blotch of barley | 51 |
| Yellow spot in wheat | 35 |
| Blackleg in canola | 35 |
2021 PestFax map statistics
The PestFax map provides a visual display of the pests and diseases reported by the industry since 1996. Viewers can choose a host, a disorder and a time period. They can also select a 'Same time as last year' map view to highlight seasonal commonality or differences.
In 2021, an impressive 11 577 maps were generated as of 4 November. This number includes every map generated between each dropdown box selection.
Maps that displayed ‘All’ disorders were generated the most with 7928 generated.
Russian wheat aphid was the disorder map most specifically generated (936), followed by Australian plague locust maps (522). To see what the other top disorder maps viewed were refer to Table 3 below. These disorders may have been viewed for previous season’s distribution (historical data) as well as this season.
| Disorder | Number of maps generated |
|---|---|
| Russian wheat aphid | 936 |
| Australian plague locust | 522 |
| Sclerotinia stem rot | 291 |
| Mouse | 256 |
| Green peach aphid | 250 |
Acknowledgements
The PestFax team would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took the time to submit insect, plant disease, weed reports and identification requests this year to the PestFax 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, Back Paddock Adviser and Planfarm Herbicide Guide apps. For more information on this collaboration refer to the 2021 PestFax Issue 11 article PestFax continues to collaborate with Agworld, Back Paddock and Planfarm platform users.
- DPIRD and GRDC co-funded “Disease surveillance and diagnostics” project.
- DPIRD, GRDC & SARDI 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.
- DPIRD’s subproject in the national Hort Innovation-led project: iMapPESTS, Sentinel surveillance for agriculture.
All reports are greatly appreciated and are vital for PestFax to keep growers and consultants informed and up to date with what is happening across WA.
For more information on the PestFax service please contact PestFax newsletter editor Cindy Webster, Narrogin on +61 (0)8 9881 0201.
Article author: Cindy Webster (DPIRD Narrogin).