Entomologist Hugh Brier is retiring after a 50-year career in the northern grains region, where he pioneered insect pest control for summer pulses including integrated pest management practices

The grains industry stands on the shoulders of generations of passionate and skilled professionals such as entomologist Hugh Brier, who is credited with helping to make summer pulse crops the successful, profitable industry of today.

Hugh retired in April after nearly 50 years working with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF).

His work was critical to the development of beat sheets – adopted as the most effective way to identify the level of pests infesting crops such as soybean and mungbean. An outwardly simple innovation, beat sheets have helped growers decide whether or not spraying is required, rather than spraying ‘just in case’, saving them significant sums over the years.

Long-time colleague Paul McIntosh says Hugh’s work has made summer crops more viable and profitable by giving growers the confidence to spray pests only when needed, reducing their costs while maintaining the effectiveness of available insecticides.

Paul is the industry development agronomist for Pulse Australia and WeedSmart in the northern region and says by making pulses a more attractive crop to grow, Hugh’s research has helped improve the overall productivity of cropping systems in the north.

“It has given growers more summer break crop options, which has, in turn, improved the productivity of following winter crops, as well as total farm profitability.

It has also given growers confidence in integrated pest management (IPM), protecting beneficial insects that help control pests by only spraying above-threshold pest populations and, where available, using new softer insecticides including biopesticides.

Hugh Brier from DAFFQ discusses the new threshold models that have been developed for crushing soybeans and details the new downloadable bug threshold calculator that makes for the easy calculation of podsucking bug thresholds in edible and crushing soybeans, and mungbeans. Recorded at GRDC  Grains Research Update, Northern Region, Goondiwindi QLD, 4-5 March 2014.

Hugh received a GRDC Seed of Light award for the northern region in 2014 in recognition of his contribution to IPM training and certification for agronomists and growers. He is also a life member of the Australian Mungbean Association.

GRDC senior manager biosecurity and regulation Dr Ken Young says that without Hugh’s research and extension work, Australian grain growers would be without basic thresholds for many pests.

“We would probably have had greater levels of insecticide resistance, and that may have hindered the adoption of rotational crops such as mungbeans, soybean and peanuts,” says Dr Young.

“Hugh has been a stalwart of integrated pest management throughout his career. As well as the many publications on IPM to assist growers and agronomists, his legacy will be the cohort the new and not-so-new entomologists and agronomists implementing IPM across Queensland’s grain crops.”

Childhood fascination

Originally from the outskirts of Brisbane, Hugh turned his childhood interest in bugs into a Bachelor of Agricultural Science, majoring in entomology, in 1973. Most of his career has been based at the Queensland Government Kingaroy Research Facility, pioneering IPM and supporting the expansion of soybean and pulse crops into Queensland’s coastal regions.

As he hands over responsibilities to colleagues, Hugh highlights the need for continuing independent evaluation of insecticides.

“While many new products are effective on target pests, they can sometimes be detrimental to beneficials.”

He adds that Australia’s market for summer pulse crop insecticides is small on a global scale, and data generated by DAF and GRDC has been essential to secure some insecticide registrations and permits, especially for some lesser but spasmodically damaging pests such as soybean moth.

“We also need to continue building the expertise of the next generation to guide growers, including for new crops gaining in popularity such as pigeon pea.”

While preserving chemistry and reducing costs have been important drivers for IPM, Hugh notes the changing perspectives of growers over the years, recognising their role as food producers.

Growers are more aware of the end product and market needs, of reducing chemical residues, and also of the industry image. IPM helps with all of these, he says.

Hugh flags a new edition of the popular beat sheet Good bug? Bad bug? that he has helped to update as a final contribution in his efforts to assist growers. It is expected to be released within the next few months.

He attributes the success and longevity of his career to the support of many growers, researchers, technical staff, extension officers and industry personnel and organisations throughout NSW and Queensland who have collaborated with him over many years.

His plans for retirement include some travel around Australia with wife Cathy, and pursuing interests in photography, landscapes, dinosaurs and steam engines.