Russian Wheat Aphid (RWA) is a cereal pest of international significance due to yield losses caused by feeding induced phytotoxicity when levels of infestation are high. Since 2016, when RWA was first detected in Australia, its known range has expanded to nearly all cereal growing regions in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, and southern New South Wales. While there exists a large international literature on the biology and management of the pest due to its important economic status, there are many knowledge gaps in the potential impact of RWA and how it should best be managed in an Australian context.

This project seeks to address the issues of damage potential of RWA in different cropping regions and different cereal crops, and subsequently identify dynamic thresholds to optimise surveillance practices and the timing of pest management action. Additionally, this work will identify key risk factors in the persistence, build up, dispersal and colonisation of RWA between growing seasons so they can be better identified and managed. Findings will be extended through existing communication channels, but also through new extension activities delivered under this proposal. This investment is also investigating how RWA survives over Summer. This knowledge is considered pivotal in determining the risk of infestation for Winter sown cereals and potential damage ahead of each new cropping season, as well as aiding RWA management planning and development of cultural controls.