The contribution of Italian entomological Schools to applications of biological control of insects harmful to agriculture and forests in southern Italy and Sardinia

The first episodes of biological control in Italy started formally in the first half of the 1800’s when Agostino Bassi demonstrated, in 1835, the activity of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin against the silkworm, Bombyx mori (L.). In the same period, Antonio Villa managed to control, specifically in 1844, some insect pests by using predatory beetles (carabids and stafilinids). The first substantial studies, however, were carried out starting in the early 1900’s at the University of Portici (Naples). From 1890 to 1903, Antonio Berlese introduced the afelinid Encarsia berlesei (Howard) from the USA and Japan to biologically control the white peach scale, Pseudaulacaspis pentagona (Targioni Tozzetti). Filippo Silvestri, who introduced, over the span of about 50 years, dozens of beneficial insects from different regions of the world for biological control, worked at the Naples University from 1903 to 1949. Furthermore, the role of the entomological Neapolitan School in the training of full professors and researchers in the Universities of southern Italy (and not) was highly significant. The work of Silvestri has been central to the development of agriculture in southern Italy and these entomological Schools belong to the Universities of Catania, Palermo, Bari, Sassari and Reggio Calabria. Among the assistants of Silvestri, we can find Vincenzo Lupo and Domenico Roberti, respectively founders of the entomological Schools of Catania and Bari Universities. In Sardinia, Francesco B. Boselli worked in the field of biological control. At Portici, Giuseppe Russo succeeded Silvestri, followed over the years by indirect heirs to the work and teaching of Filippo Silvestri. Guido Grandi, another prestigious entomologist working at Bologna University, was assistant of Silvestri as well. We can simply consider that in 1970 over 50 species of entomophagous were introduced into our country from different regions of the world; of these, however, only ten were actually acclimatized. The most significant events of biological control carried out in the time are listed in tables and regard citrus, olive, and protected crops. They clearly indicate that applications of biological control are crucial for economic development in those areas. Several entomological problems, such as attacks of the cottony cushion scale, Icerya purchasi Maskell, the wooly whitefly, Aleurothrixus floccosus (Maskell), Liriomyza spp. and other pests, have found in the biological control a more convincing solution than that offered by other technical means, including that of chemical agents.