Tune into this webinar about leafmining flies in production nurseries.
It will discuss leafmining flies monitoring and their identification, cultural practices that reduce/prevent leafminer populations, biological control, and pesticide management.
Australia has seen the introduction of three Liriomyza leafminers, the vegetable leafminer (VLM: Liriomyza sativae), the serpentine leafminer (SLM: Liriomyza huidobrensis), and the American serpentine leafminer (ASLM: Liriomyza trifolii) since 2015.
These three leafminers have been reported to attack over 200 host plant species, the majority of which can be found growing in nursery situations, including a wide range of weed hosts. They produce a range of damage symptoms from stippling due to feeding, oviposition sites, and leaf mines. The damage can be confused with native leafminers and damage from other insects.
Leafminer flies are best managed/controlled using a preventative approach, putting in place cultural practices that reduce risk and detect infestations early. There is an abundance of beneficial insects (Parasitoids) that attack leafminers, with over 50 being recorded in Australia.
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The biggest threat to a successful IPM approach is the over-reliance on insecticides to manage this group of insect pests, as insecticides will also decimate the parasitoid population. Data in Australia indicate that damage to field crops increases with increasing pesticide usage.
The webinar will be presented by John Duff (who leads the national project on the management of Liriomyza flies in Australia) and Andrew Manners.