Murray Local Land Services (LLS) has urged farmers to be on the lookout for signs of fall armyworm (FAW) following confirmation by NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) that FAW larvae has been found in the Finley area.
LLS Agriculture Advisory Team Leader Dale Stringer said while this is one of the first confirmed detections in the Murray region, it is likely more cases of FAW will be reported over summer.
“We need growers, particularly those growing sorghum and maize, to be regularly monitoring their crops for signs of this pest, as early detection is the first step of an effective management plan,” Mr Stringer said.
“Landholders should be looking for windowing of leaves where larvae have hatched and small shot holes as leaves expand, caused by larvae feeding in the developing leaf whorl.”
“Small larvae are difficult to identify, so we recommend growers keep suspect larvae on host crop leaves and let them grow for a few days until they can be more easily identified through photographs.”
In most cases, DPI can identify larvae from clear photographs which can be sent via an online form
