First finding of Helicoverpa armigera in Austria
The NPPO of Austria recently notified the EPPO Secretariat of the first finding of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae – EPPO A2 list) on plants of Phaseolus vulgaris on its territory. The pest was recently detected by a farmer in the district of Gänserndorf (Niederösterreich) and notified to the local plant protection service in Niederösterreich. As a result of an official inspection, an area of approximately 60 ha was found to be infested. The local plant protection service ordered a chemical treatment of all fields planted with the same crop in that district (about 110 ha), restriction on the movement of the harvested crop and its immediate processing by the industry. The source of the infestation is unknown.
The declared status of Helicoverpa armigera in Austria is: Present, first found in 2003 in one farm in Niederösterreich, under eradication.
Sources
NPPO of Austria, 2004-01.