Fall armyworm takes the stage at national symposium

• The National Fall Armyworm Symposium will take place at Brisbane’s  Ecosciences Precinct at Dutton Park on 17-18 April.
• Industry, government, researchers and funders will share learnings and identify research, development, and extension priorities.
• The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has partnered with industry, universities and government agencies over four years to work on sustainable solutions for managing fall armyworm.

One of the scourges of sweet corn, maize and sorghum producers will be front and centre when great minds across industry, government, research agencies and funders converge for a forum in Brisbane on 17-18 April.

Fall armyworm (FAW) has had a major impact since arriving in Queensland in 2020, with infestations in maize and sorghum this year the most severe to date.

The pest has been found in all states of Australia except South Australia, including in every Queensland growing region from the Gulf and the Atherton Tablelands down to the Darling Downs.

The National Fall Armyworm Research, Development and Extension Symposium 2024 is a face-to-face forum where learnings will be shared and research, development and extension (RD&E) priorities identified.

It presents a valuable opportunity to address the fall armyworm challenge and protect Australian agriculture into the future.

Speakers will include researchers and program leaders from:

• Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
• NSW Department of Primary Industries
• Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
• Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
• CSIRO
• University of Southern Queensland
• University of Queensland
• Macquarie University
• ASEAN Fall Armyworm Action
• Hort Innovation
• Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)
• Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC)
• Other producers and agronomists from across Australia.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner:

“Fall armyworm infestations are now found in every important growing area in Queensland. 

“With this year’s infestations being the most severe to date, the research and extension work being done by the Department and other government and research agencies across the country is even more important.

“This symposium is a rare and valuable opportunity as industry and researchers across horticulture, grains, cotton, animal and sugar industries work together to address the fall armyworm challenge and protect Australian agriculture into the future.”

Quotes attributable to Hort Innovation CEO Brett Fifield:

“As soon as fall armyworm arrived on our shores, the impacted industries swiftly leveraged their strong, collaborative relationships to support growers in Northern Australia.

“This cooperative approach has continued over the past few years as the focus turns to long-term research into how to combat fall armyworm.

“This symposium highlights the power of industry coming together and partnering on key biosecurity challenges.”

Quotes attributable to AUSVEG CEO Michael Coote:

“Fall armyworm has caused significant damage to sweetcorn crops this year, and as it spreads to new areas, growers around the country are quickly trying to learn and apply best-practice management techniques.

“With fall armyworm being found on an increasing range of crops, this is an important time for industry, researchers, government and other stakeholders to get together to share the latest knowledge on this pest.

“As a cross-agriculture problem, it’s heartening to see a broad range of industries working together to address the fall armyworm challenge with events such as this symposium.”

The National Fall Armyworm Research, Development and Extension Symposium is hosted by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and delivered through the Hort Innovation funded project VG22006 National fall armyworm innovation system for the Australian vegetable industry, with support from the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative and the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

Explainer/fast fact and or further information:

DAF has partnered with industry, universities and government agencies over four years to deliver research, development and extension on sustainable solutions for managing fall armyworm.

The Queensland Government allocated $1.867 million in 2020 DAF’s fall armyworm monitoring and research activities.

The 2021-22 State Budget included a further $3 million over two years for fall armyworm research, development, and extension.

As a result, greater awareness of the risks, improved knowledge of tools like crop checking, effective insecticides and natural enemies like wasps have put producers in a better position to manage the pest than they were in 2020.

However, like other major pests before it, there is no quick fix for fall armyworm and a lot more work needs to be done to protect the future of our agricultural industries.

Media contact: Martin Philip 0407 675 008