Australia
May 4, 2011
There aren’t too many services available these days that are free-of-charge but of enormous value.
One service that ticks both boxes is PestFacts South Australia and Western Victoria Edition.
Supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s (GRDC) National Invertebrate Pest Initiative, PestFacts is a free newsletter service designed to keep grain growers and advisers informed about invertebrate pest-related issues and solutions.
GRDC Southern Regional Panel chair David Shannon says that the service is of particular value when pest issues emerge during the winter growing season and when prompt identification is required and advisory information circulated.
“And with the recent unusually wet summer conditions expected to promote an abundance of crop insect pest activity this coming season, being informed and alerted by signing up to the PestFacts service should be a priority for growers and advisers,” Mr Shannon said.
With a focus on pests of broad-acre grain crops in south-eastern Australia, PestFacts South Australia and Western Victoria is co-ordinated by researchers from SA Research and Development Institute’s (SARDI) Entomology Unit.
SARDI Entomology Unit researchers Kym Perry (left), Ken Henry, Gabriella Caon and Helen DeGraaf (seated).
They produce the PestFacts free newsletter which is sent directly to subscribers via e-mail. This service is produced on an ‘as-needs’ basis in response to pest observations and reports.
“Subscriber support and feedback is essential to the success of PestFacts,” Mr Shannon said.
“I encourage grains industry personnel to sign up to the service to ensure that all emerging pest issues in crops and pastures are quickly recognised and addressed.”
A free crop insect identification service is also available to all PestFacts subscribers.
For more information about the service, contact Kym Perry on (08) 8303 9370, Ken Henry on (08) 8303 9540 or Gabriella Caon (08) 8303 9536.
The GRDC also provides an extensive integrated pest management information resource at www.grdc.com.au/pestlinks.
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