BIOCONTROL AGENTS FOR FARMERS REGISTRATION

Many of these introductions do not result in establishment or if they do, the organism may not become pests. Pests are constantly being imported into countries where they are not native, either accidentally, or in some cases, intentionally. Importation of natural enemies, sometimes referred to as classical biological control, is used when a pest of exotic origin is the target of the biocontrol program. Each of these techniques can be used either alone or in combination in a biological control program. There are three general approaches to biological control importation, augmentation and conservation of natural enemies. weeds, plant pathogens, vertebrates and insects), we will limit our discussion to the use of biological control of insects, primarily using other insects as natural enemies. While the principles of biological control can be applied against various pest organisms (e.g.

In this article we will examine approaches to biological control and applications of these approaches in modern pest management. Today's insectaries and air-freight delivery of natural enemies across the country or around the world are simply modern adaptations of these original ideas. The ancient Chinese, observing that ants were effective predators of many citrus pests, augmented their populations by taking their nests from surrounding habitats and placing them into their orchards. The use of natural enemies to reduce the impacts of pests has a long history. Congress, OTA 1995) indicates that biologically based technologies such as biological control could be more widely used to solve pressing needs in pest management. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment (U. The need for alternatives to pesticides is clear, but where will these solutions come from? A recent report by the U. In many cases, the pests themselves have indicated the need for change, with pesticide resistance now a common reality in many weeds, insects and diseases.

BIOCONTROL AGENTS FOR FARMERS REGISTRATION

Many countries have instituted more stringent regulation of pesticide manufacture, registration and use, thereby increasing the cost, and decreasing the availability of these tools. In recent decades, elevated awareness of the impacts of pesticide use on the environment and human health have resulted in efforts to reduce reliance on chemical controls.

Biocontrol agents for farmers