WHETHER farming organically or conventionally, SARDI entomologist Peter Crisp warns “there is no one sledgehammer that does the job”.
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With that in mind, he said it was important to be proactive, rather than reactive, when dealing with pests.
“If a disease, weed or pest is in low quantity, keep it out,” he said.
Dr Crisp was speaking as part of the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia annual conference, themed Into Organics.
With talk of rising resistance among some chemical groups, Dr Crisp said conventional farmers could also benefit from this approach. He said while there were some benefits as a habitat for wildlife and beneficial insects, weeds could limit crop choices. He advised a cultural change that went back to the start of considering where weeds could come onto the property.
“Ask yourself – who is driving through the property, where was that vehicle last night and what is it carrying?” he said.
He said one option was to make vehicles stop at the house or front gate, and transport its occupants in a vehicle that does not leave the farm.
He said other ways of spreading weeds could include seed coming in along creeks or waterways, from road verges, or from neighbouring properties. Animal manure could also carry weed seeds, as could home compost.
“If you do it yourself, do it properly, or buy from someone who does do it properly,” he said.
Fellow speaker and Biological Services entomologist Terril Marais had a similar message for dealing with insect pests, advocating an integrated pest management system.
She said this overall method involved a range of practices from crop hygiene, weed control to remove refuges, selecting cultivars with consideration of what varieties might be more susceptible, biological controls, and even spraying with selected chemicals as a last resort.
“IPM is not a quick fix and you don’t just implement it overnight,” she said. “And it’s not rigid – every property, crop and grower is different and will do it differently.”
She stressed the importance of monitoring in the system.
“You need to pick problems before they become problems,” she said.
Using history as a guide, it can be possible to know what the biggest problem pests are and what time of year they will be most prevalent.
“You need to know what the pests and good guys look like and the stages of pest/disease cycles,” she said.
Indicator plants could be one option, using a small area of plants that are more susceptible to the insect to see when the pest is active.
Elizabeth Anderson
Editor of Stock Journal.
Editor of Stock Journal.
