Heliothis Warning for hemp growers in Australia

30 January 2021, AU: Reporting from the field: 1st and 2nd instar Helicoverpa Armigera (also known commonly as Heliothis, native budworm, cotton bollworm or corn earworm) have been spotted in multiple hemp crops this past week and spraying is – or should be – underway. Getting these little blighters under control across the state is essential to ensure what looks like a bumper season for high yields of grain.

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Note that the advice for VivusMax application is that the crop needs to stay dry for 2-3 days after spraying for maximum efficacy. If growers have any concerns, questions, are using a different control method or tackling this problem for the first time, please check in with your agronomist for specific advice, or read this comprehensive document that has been kindly provided to us by Philip Armitage (AgBiTech) with contributions from Andrew Linnertson (Ananda), Emily Ruffo (NurtrienAg), Chris Cheek (Ben Lomond Agriculture) along with two of our most experienced Grower Member Alastair Bowman (Cheshunt) and Nick Mills (Panshaner).