Australia
February 14, 2007
 PestFax
Editor Peter Mangano of the Department of Agriculture and Food
(DAFWA) today received the
Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Seed of
Light Award at the GRDC-supported 2007 Agribusiness Crop Updates
at Burswood.
Presenting the award for excellence in communication, Western
Panel Chairman Neil Young said Mr Mangano and his weekly series
of pest news updates was high impact extension and communication
with direct financial benefit for growers.
“One of the most significant achievements of PestFax has been
the way it’s grown with input from an expanding wheatbelt
agronomist network,” Mr Young said.
“Peter has encouraged and developed a good rapport with the
major agronomist networks of agribusiness companies such as
Landmark, Elders, UFC and CRT and with chemical company field
reps and researchers, leading to a high incidence of timely
reporting of pests and diseases by their staff.
“In recent times private consulting agronomists have also
contributed to PestFax.
“Such intelligence gives Peter an extensive field force to
provide the breadth and detail now evident in the Pestfax
service and increasing its value to growers.
“To Peter's credit, Pestfax is now considered the one-stop
info-shop to check what's happening in pests and diseases.
“The weekly email service is a significant advance for users
over what started 10 years ago as a poll fax service.
“PestFax in 2007 is now keenly followed by the rural press, ABC
Rural, most of the agronomy sector and many farmers who are now
'on-line',” Mr Young said.
Started by DAFWA’s entomology section, PestFax initially
focussed on major insect incidence in the wheatbelt, with early
field reporting largely from entomologists in major regional
centres, with some input from regional advisors and researchers.
GRDC Western Panel member and crop protection consultant, Ralph
Burnett said reports of early season insects such as webworm,
cutworm, looper, red-legged earth mite and Desiantha weevil gave
advisors and growers early warning to check crops.
“Later in the year, the incidence of aphids in lupins and
pastures was important because of CMV and BYMV diseases that
they vectored,” Mr Burnett said.
“Installing a regional grid of light traps later gave a great
picture of where budworm attack could be expected in legume
crops.
“Epidemic diseases had not previously been of great
significance, but when leaf rust appeared in 1992, this
information became an important part of the PestFax output.
“The disease input was expanded rapidly as new problems appeared
in the 1990s, such as Ascochyta in chickpeas, BYDV in cereals,
anthracnose in lupins and then in 2002 stripe rust in wheat,” Mr
Burnett said.
Mr Young said the GRDC was pleased that the PestFax concept,
started in WA, had now been adopted in SA and Victoria,
servicing those states and southern NSW.
“Peter Mangano’s development, refinement and promotion of
PestFax has been a key reason for the interstate adoption and he
is a very worthy recipient of the prestigious 2007 Seed of Light
award for excellence in communication,” Mr Young said.
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