AN exotic pest with the potential to wipe out agricultural crops found its way to Australian shores for the first time in 2020.
Fall armyworm was first detected in surveillance traps on the Torres Strait islands of Saibai and Erub in January, before quickly reaching the mainland.
Surveillance for the pest had ramped up after the highly migratory moth was found to be rapidly spreading throughout South East Asia last year.
By February, fall armyworm was detected at Bamaga and it quickly established itself in North Queensland, Northern Territory and parts of Western Australia.
During the year, it spread south throughout Queensland and into NSW.
The fall armyworm moth can fly up to 500km in as little as 48 hours, making containing it near impossible.
The exotic pest has the potential to wipe out agricultural crops, and at the larval stage feeds on more than 350 plant species including cultivated grasses such as maize, rice, sorghum, cane and wheat, as well as fruit, vegetable and cotton crops.
Monitoring and tracking its spread was the highest priority in the early stages with Biosecurity Queensland chief biosecurity officer Malcolm Letts urging growers to be alert.
"It is important we continue to monitor and track the spread of this pest in Queensland, so we can alert growers when they may expect to start seeing some damage to crops," Mr Letts said.
As the pest continued its march south, reducing the destruction it causes to crops has been a key focus for teams of researchers, agronomists and scientists.
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries principal entomologist Dr Melina Miles said there was still a lot to learn about the effects of the pest on Australian crops.
"We've not previously seen a pest that can reduce the amount of functioning leaf area to the point where it warrants control in the vegetative stage, and that is what fall armyworm is doing - particularly in maize and sweet corn," Dr Miles said.
"In the Burdekin, growers tell you that every crop of maize or sorghum they have has been affected to some extent."
The Australian government has been supporting efforts to minimise its impacts.
Earlier this month the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority issued two additional permits to control fall armyworm in sweetcorn, safflower and sunflower, bringing the number of permits to 37.
The government also provided $600,000 to Plant Health Australia to research fall armyworm genetics, pesticide resistance, commercial and native hosts, and modelling seasonal impacts on populations.
