Fall Armyworm in NZ Maize: Four Years of Research
Four years since it was first detected in New Zealand, researchers and growers now know much more about management of maize pest fall armyworm (FAW).
The research, prompted by the September 2013 Canterbury wind storms, saw 100 irrigator owners talk about how they prevented damage to their machines. The outcome is an irrigator advice guide now available free at www.fmg.co.nz
“Irrigator owners will find the guide very useful,” says FMG’s Conrad Wilkshire. “To our knowledge there’s not another one like it. It’s got sound, practical advice on what people can do in the days and hours leading up to a storm, and measures they can take all year to help keep their irrigator upright.”
FMG’s research with Lincoln University highlighted the effectiveness of three steps: point the irrigator downward into the prevailing wind; park (make a parking space for the irrigator) if possible away from any other objects; anchor, i.e. along the parking space install anchor points to tie the irrigator down.
The company says the guide is not a ‘how to’ manual, but a starting point for wider research efforts.
FMG paid out more irrigator claims than any other insurer following the 2013 storms; 260 claims were lodged at a cost of $7.6m. Its response to the storm claims resulted in client satisfaction in the region reaching its highest levels ever, Wilkshire says.
“[But] we won’t be resting on this. We too have taken lessons from these storms and as a direct result have changed and enhanced our insurance offering to include nominated replacement cover as well as present day value and clients should call and talk to us about these. We also now have much closer ties in the irrigation industry, including suppliers.”
