Green peach aphids (GPA) are an important pest of vegetables, causing damage by feeding and transmitting viruses.
High levels of resistance to carbamates, pyrethroids and organophosphates are found across Australia. Low levels of resistance to neonicotinoids have also been observed in some GPA populations.
This webinar outlined a strategy to manage insecticide resistance in GPA populations for vegetable growers, which involves rotating different chemical groups, and using alternative (IPM) methods to manage pest and virus loads.
Watch the recording of this interactive session with guest presenter Dr Siobhan de Little from cesar, faciliated by Carl Larsen from RMCG.
The key messages include:
- Know what you’ve got; make sure it is green peach aphid and not another aphid species
- Do not ‘calendar spray’ chemicals as a preventative, and always monitor for aphids first
- When chemical controls are warranted, make sure you rotate between different classes (modes of action) and preferentially use ‘softer’ chemicals.
You can download the accompanying presentation here, as well as access other great resources such as the Resistance Management Strategy for GPA and fact sheet on managing pesticide resistance.
