May General Meeting

At this meeting we will hear from Trevor Volp, research entomologist at QDPI discuss the latest research on the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in his talk entitled: “Five Years of Fall Armyworm: Insights, Challenges, and the Road Ahead”.

Few insect species have generated as much recent media and research attention as the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), commonly known as FAW. Originally confined to the Americas, FAW rapidly spread across the global tropics and subtropics during the mid- to late-2010s. Since its detection in Australia in early 2020, FAW has become a major pest of broadacre, horticultural, and fodder production systems. In several crops, FAW now regularly causes significant yield losses and, in some cases, complete crop failure.  

Currently, FAW management in Australia relies heavily on chemical insecticides. However, ongoing research is focused on developing more sustainable, long-term management strategies. Progress is challenged by aspects of the pest’s biology and ecology, as well as varying sociocultural practices across agricultural industries. In this talk, I will discuss FAW’s incursion and establishment in Australia, its impact on crop production, QDPI’s research efforts aimed at improving pest management, and what the road ahead might look like for FAW management.