Manipulation of Natural Enemies in Agroecosystems: Habitat and Semiochemicals for Sustainable Insect Pest Control
نویسندگان
چکیده
Plants are not capable of running away from their enemies, i.e., the herbivores that may eat them. However, under certain circumstances, plants can rely on the natural enemies of insect herbivores for protection. These natural enemies include other insects that are predators and parasitoids. To help protect plants from damage caused by insect herbivores, practical methods have been developed and evaluated to conserve and augment natural enemies of several agricultural pests. These strategies include improving the suitability of the crop landscape for natural enemies by manipulating the resources available for these insects, and the use of semiochemicals to attract predators and parasitoids. This chapter will review recent studies exploring the potential for manipulating the behavior of natural enemies through vegetational diversification of crop habitats and the use of semiochemicals to enhance biological control in agroecosystems, and we will discuss how these might be combined to improve crop protection.
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