News

Another exotic pest has breached Australia's leaky defences

Fresh Mango
Australia
Published Apr 14, 2022

Tridge summary

Another exotic pest has breached Australia's biosecurity defences. A hungry moth called the mango shoot looper was first detected on the Atherton Tablelands in north Queensland in September 2021. Now it has been found in Darwin. Despite the pandemic's travel bans, Australia has had a bad couple of years on the biosecurity front.

Original content

Aside from the regular incursions of COVID-19, fall armyworm has spread right throughout Australia, dog disease ehrlichiosis is well established and now endemic plus most recently Japanese encephalitis is well entrenched in four states. This latest invasive pest from Asia poses a threat to the Northern Territory's rich mango industry and plantations in Queensland. Producing approximately 40,000 tonnes of mangoes each year, NT farmers contribute more than 52 per cent of the combined national crop valued between $100-$150 million. This moth has also been found investing lychee crops in Queensland. Severe infestations can cause 80-100 per cent leaf and flower damage on affected trees and significant crop losses due to damage to flowers and immature fruit. In north Queensland, in the absence of effective chemical control the pest has been observed causing significant damage on mango plants, which includes totally stripping back flowers and destroying young fruit. Government experts ...
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