Pest management in hemp

Managing pests in industrial hemp

Industrial hemp has an exciting future, with global industrial hemp market expected to reach $18.6 billion by 2027. However, pest management in hemp is challenging, because little is known about the invertebrate communities in hemp and pest control options are limited.

The hemp industry has a unique opportunity to develop a pest management program that incorporates Integrated Pest Management (IPM) from its onset. IPM uses a diverse tool kit to manage pests below economic thresholds. It can reduce insecticide costs to growers and cultivate a “clean - green” image that improves market access.

As part of the IPM tool kit, growers need to know which pests will cause economic damage (and when), and which beneficials in the community attack those pests (conservation biological control). Therefore, the first objective of our work is to identify the insect communities in the crops around Australia. Following from this we will identify which predators attack which pest using DNA barcoding techniques to associate predators with their prey.

To manage pests effectively you need to know when it is necessary to control them. The work will identify the Economic Injury Levels and Economic Thresholds of key pests, providing an effective guide for growers.

For any IPM program to be successful, growers need to be engaged. Our work is strongly focused on engaging growers, so that their concerns and insights can be incorporated into the process.

Funding: AgriFutures

Partners: New South Wales Department of Primary Industries; Murdoch University; Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development; South Australian Research and Development Institute; Southern Cross University.

Contact: Mary Whitehouse, mary.whitehouse@mq.edu.au