DROUGHT MAKES CROPS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO PESTS
An extension entomologist is concerned crops in areas of prolonged drought will be more vulnerable to pests. Erin Hodgson with Iowa State University says a lack of moisture puts stress on plants. She tells Brownfield severe weather during the growing season can also leave lasting impacts. “It sets crops up for not total success because you have these stressors on top of everything else. So I don’t know if the drought will continue this year, but that’s certainly not a good thing for farmers because it kind of sets up a step-wise stresses for everything else that might happen in the season.” Hodgson says corn and soybeans in many parts of the Midwest will likely start the year at a moisture “deficit” and farmers should factor that into pest management.
(Link: BrownField)
GRDC LEADS INITIATIVE TO BOLSTER GRAIN BIOSECURITY
GRDC in partnership with five state government departments, on Feb. 26 announced a $42.7 million national security initiative that will “transform the effectiveness and responsiveness of Australia’s grains biosecurity system.”John Woods, chairman of the GRDC, said the six-year initiative will use state-of-the-art technology and processes to improve Australia’s ability to rapidly detect and accurately diagnose exotic pests and plant diseases, allowing identification to happen “near the paddock” rather than in centralized laboratories. It also utilize global intelligence to forecast future pest and disease risks to the nation’s grains industry.
Woods said the industry faced increased biosecurity risks from a range of factors, including more frequent international movement in trade and people, increasing chemical resistance, a decrease in the number of technical specialists and increasing input costs. “This important national initiative will link with new and established pest surveillance for faster detection, which will allow more responsive eradication or management plans to be put in place,” Woods said.
(Link: WorldGrain)
