Biological control of pests in protected cultivation: implementation in Latin America and successes in Europe

The area with greenhouse crops is estimated to be around 40,000 hectares in Latin America, of which approximately 60% is occupied with ornamentals. Several pests are responsible for losses in yield or quality of greenhouse crops production and pest control is still mainly by chemicals. However, there are several stimuli for the adoption of biological control strategies as an IPM component, not only for the export market of products, but also for increased use of sustainable plant protection methods as a result of the increased success of this methodology in European countries. In Latin America use of native natural enemies plays an important role in pest control and the procedure for development and implementation for biological control in protected cultivation should, therefore, not be based only on the importation and release of commercialized exotic natural enemies. Biological control can be developed making use of effective native natural enemies, or of those introduced a long time ago, and might be supplemented with exotic natural enemies for those pests where native biological control agents are ineffective. In Brazil, the reason for use of native agents is mainly due to concern about environmental risks of imported natural enemies and also because native or naturalized natural enemies are well adapted to local environmental conditions. In many countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Mexico, IPM and biological control programs are commercially used or are implemented in pilot greenhouses. Several successes of biological control programs used in Europe will be illustrated

Performance of Orius insidiosus after storage, exposure to dispersal material, handling and shipment processes

Storage, handling and shipment procedures are important factors influencing the quality of biological control agents. This study aimed to evaluate biological parameters and performance of Orius insidiosus (Say) after different storage periods at low temperatures, after exposure to different dispersal materials in containers, and after handling the predator during the shipment and delivery processes. Storage periods were 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 days at temperatures of 5, 8, 10 and 12 ± 1 °C, RH 70 ± 10% and under continuous scotophase. A mix of 75% adults and 25% 5th instar nymphs of O. insidiosus was kept in plastic containers (200 mL) for a 72 h period, supplied with eggs of Anagasta kuehniella (Zeller) as food, farmer’s friend inflorescence (Bidens pilosa L.) as oviposition substrate and source of moisture, and one of the following dispersal materials: vermiculite + rice hulls (1:1), vermiculite, folded paper towels, sawdust, and coffee husk. Also, similar mixes of nymphs and adults were exposed to a 72 h shipment and delivery process. We found that O. insidiosus can be stored up to 10 days at 8 °C without loss of quality. Interestingly, storage of mated female predators results in a much higher fecundity post-storage than storage of virgin females. Vermiculite + rice hulls was by far the best dispersal material, and shipment of the predators by post during 72 h in Styrofoam boxes with plastic containers with vermiculite + rice hulls and A. kuehniella eggs did not negatively affect their survival and predation capacity. Our results can be used in planning mass-rearing and shipment, and to improve the quality of the predator O. insidiosus by using the right storage temperature, storage period and dispersal material

Pest kill rate as aggregate evaluation criterion to rank biological control agents: a case study with Neotropical predators of Tuta absoluta on tomato

AbstractTuta absoluta (Meyrick), a key pest of tomato, is quickly spreading over the world and biological control is considered as one of the control options. Worldwide more than 160 species of natural enemies are associated with this pest, and an important challenge is to quickly find an effective biocontrol agent from this pool of candidate species. Evaluation criteria for control agents are presented, with the advantages they offer for separating potentially useful natural enemies from less promising ones. Next, an aggregate parameter for ranking agents is proposed: the pest kill rate km. We explain why the predator's intrinsic rate of increase cannot be used for comparing the control potential of predators or parasitoids, while km can be used to compare both types of natural enemies. As an example, kill rates for males, females and both sexes combined of three Neotropical mirid species (Campyloneuropsis infumatus (Carvalho), Engytatus varians (Distant) and Macrolophus basicornis (Stål)) were determined, taking all life-history data (developmental times, survival rates, total nymphal and adult predation, sex ratios and adult lifespan) into account. Based on the value for the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) for T. absoluta and for the kill rate km of the predators, we predict that all three predators are potentially able to control the pest, because their km values are all higher than the rm of the pest. Using only km values, we conclude that E. varians is the best candidate for control of T. absoluta on tomato, with C. infumatus ranking second and M. basicornis last

Biological control of pests in protected cultivation: implementation in Latin America and successes in Europe

The area with greenhouse crops is estimated to be around 40,000 hectares in Latin America, of which approximately 60% is occupied with ornamentals. Several pests are responsible for losses in yield or quality of greenhouse crops production and pest control is still mainly by chemicals. However, there are several stimuli for the adoption of biological control strategies as an IPM component, not only for the export market of products, but also for increased use of sustainable plant protection methods as a result of the increased success of this methodology in European countries. In Latin America use of native natural enemies plays an important role in pest control and the procedure for development and implementation for biological control in protected cultivation should, therefore, not be based only on the importation and release of commercialized exotic natural enemies. Biological control can be developed making use of effective native natural enemies, or of those introduced a long time ago, and might be supplemented with exotic natural enemies for those pests where native biological control agents are ineffective. In Brazil, the reason for use of native agents is mainly due to concern about environmental risks of imported natural enemies and also because native or naturalized natural enemies are well adapted to local environmental conditions. In many countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Mexico, IPM and biological control programs are commercially used or are implemented in pilot greenhouses. Several successes of biological control programs used in Europe will be illustrated

Augmentative biological control of arthropods in Latin America

Augmentative forms of biological control, where natural enemies are periodically introduced, are applied over large areas in various cropping systems in Latin America. About 25% of the world area under augmentative control is situated in this region. Well-known examples are the use of species of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma for management of Lepidoptera in various crops. In Mexico, for example, about 1.5 million hectares are treated with Trichogramma spp. Application of Trichogramma also occurs on large areas in Colombia and Cuba, but use is limited in other Latin American countries for economic reasons, the generally low level of education of farmers, and, more importantly, because of the intensive use of pesticides that prevents use of natural enemies. Of the other egg parasitoids, the main species used in commercial releases are Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) against the heteropteran Nezara viridula (L.) in soybean in Brazil, and Telenomus remus Nixon against Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) in corn in Venezuela. Natural enemies attacking larval and pupal stages are not used to a large extent in augmentative biological control in field crops, with the exception of the use of Cotesia parasitoids against sugarcane borers in Brazil and several other Latin American countries. In addition to the use of parasitoids and predators, Latin America is applying microbial control agents on a large scale, such as viruses for control of caterpillars in soybean, fungi for control of pests in coffee, cotton and sugar cane, and nematodes for control of soil pests. A recent development in biological control in Latin America is the use of natural enemies and antagonists for disease and pest control in protected cultivation, for example, in Colombia, Brazil and Peru. Up to date, reliable figures on current use of inundative and seasonal inoculative biological control appeared hard to obtain, but it is clear that Latin America currently is a main player in the field of augmentative releases