“We still believe the avocado is not a true host of fall armyworm, and that these “spill-over” cases are probably somewhat rare,” he says. Image (wings closed): William Lambert, University of Georgia, .ĭr Newton says the instance on the Atherton Tablelands involves an orchard “very close” to very heavily infested maize and Rhodes grass. Males have more patterns with a distinct white spot on forewings. The moth is 32-40mm from wing tip to wing tip, with a brown or grey forewing, and white hind wing. “Under these densities, other neighbouring crops will sometimes get attacked to some extent.” “The fall armyworm’s main host crop is corn (and perhaps some grasses/weeds), where it will breed-up in huge densities over the course of the growing season. “However, we are pretty sure this is what we refer to as a ‘spill-over’ event,” Dr Newton says. Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries researcher Dr Ian Newton says there has been one report of fall armyworm ( Spodoptera frugiperda) in avocados on the Atherton Tablelands, in early 2021. While avocados aren’t the main target of the fall armyworm, it would seem the new pest might attack avocado trees if they happen to be near an area of high infestation, but researchers remain confident it will not be a significant issue for the Australian industry. Fall armyworm may opportunistically target avocado
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