With canola prone to attack by at least 30 species of invertebrate pests, two new research projects using beneficial insects (beneficials) are underway focusing managing their impact.
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The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) investments are being led by CSIRO and Cesar Australia and represent a collective investment of more than $12 million into the impact of beneficial invertebrates, such as ladybeetles, lacewings, spiders, carabids, predatory mites and parasitic wasps, in canola.
The severity and regularity of the pest's impact varies between grain growing regions.
GRDC reports that during the past decade, the average annual loss from invertebrate pests in canola - using the management strategies available - was estimated to be $54 million.
GRDC crop protection manager west, Georgia Megirian, said sustainable production of canola required integrated pest management (IPM).
"Cultural practices and biological control are important aspects of IPM," Ms Megirian said.
"Chemical interventions should be reserved as a last resort and applied only when necessary to prevent pests from reaching economically harmful levels."
Ms Megirian said, to date, synthetic insecticides have served as the primary means of controlling pests in canola within broadacre agriculture.
"Relying solely on this single method could escalate the risk of developing pesticide resistance and potentially harm the natural enemies of these pests," she said.
"These new investments focus on enhancing the activity of beneficials in canola pests, addressing critical challenges such as market access, chemical regulation and the increasing threat of insecticide resistance in canola production."
The $9.7m project 'Minimising damage of invertebrate pests in canola through a better understanding of the impact of beneficial insects', also known as Canola Allies, will be led by CSIRO with support from New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and Murdoch University.
CSIRO principal research scientist Dr Sarina Macfadyen said beneficials could be instrumental in suppressing a range of pest populations and reducing the frequency and extent of damaging pest outbreaks.
"Globally, about 35 per cent of crops are lost to pre-harvest pests, weeds, disease and invertebrate pests - even with the use of pesticides," Dr Macfadyen said.
"Specific crop loss data for Australian systems is scarce, but we know the threat posed by invertebrate pests changes across the season, year, location and crop type."
Dr Macfadyen said Australian canola producers had an amazing diversity of beneficials on their properties and in the broader landscape which could be used more strategically to reduce crop losses.
"But to achieve this requires some new knowledge, practices and tools to integrate beneficials into farming operations," she said.
"The Canola Allies project is designed to uncover new insights into the ecology and management of beneficials in Australia's canola growing regions.
"It focuses on understanding their effects on key canola pests and developing tailored practices to conserve and enhance their populations."
Additionally, a four-year, $2.2m project 'Assessing the ecological and economic benefits of controlling aphid pests of canola with parasitoid wasps' will be led by Cesar Australia in partnership with Biological Services, Bugs for Bugs, Crop Capsules and the University of Melbourne.
This project aims to provide canola growers and advisers with evidence-based guidelines for integrating beneficial insects into their pest management practices.
It specifically focuses on the strategic release of aphid parasitoid wasps to manage aphid populations effectively, potentially reducing or eliminating the reliance on pesticides.
Cesar Australia research scientist Dr Luis Mata said the project was aimed at gathering crucial information to bolster growers' confidence in incorporating beneficial insects into their pest management strategies.
Dr Mata said based on consultation with industry experts and researchers, questions were raised about the anticipated levels of pest suppression and how crops will be affected.
"This project is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of aphid parasitoid wasps in managing aphid infestations without the use of insecticides," Dr Mata said.
"It will also compare the results with the pest control levels achieved through conventional approaches, such as the application of broad-spectrum insecticides.
"Through field-based research, the project will assess the biological, ecological and economic advantages of leveraging natural enemies for pest control and the findings will be translated into practical, feasible, and economically beneficial management strategies and tools tailored for Australia's grains industry."
Results are anticipated to be available to Australian growers in 2027.
