The Bowen Gumlu region in far-north Queensland is on high alert following the detection of fall armyworm in March this year.

Assisting growers in the battle against this exotic pest – as well as a range of other target species – is a new ‘smart trap’.

DTN has developed Smart Trap technology, which utilises sticky cards and pheromone lures in the base of the trap to attract the target pest species.

A high-resolution camera then captures images of pests caught in the trap and transmits these to a cloud server. These are then analysed and counted by DTN’s computer software.

Daily trap images and target pest counts are sent to the growers’ Agronomic Platform account, which is easily accessible via mobile or computer to enable them to have a better understanding of the pest burden within their crops.

In this article, former VegNET Regional Development Officer Eilis Walker reports on this latest technology and how it will benefit vegetable growers.

VegNET – North Queensland is a strategic levy investment under the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund.