Abstract
Abstract Biological control is a worldwide trend and has been prominent as an effective and compatible strategy for use in Integrated Pest Management programs. In Brazil, the control of these organisms using biological agents has been used in several agricultural systems, including floriculture. This paper approaches biological control from the perspective of the interaction between organisms in nature, applied as a pest management strategy. Knowledge about the dependence and reciprocity among populations in a natural environment is fundamental to understanding that this control method is nothing more than an exploiting of a natural ecological service. Considering that, for the biological control of a pest we must increase the population density of natural enemies, we report on the two main ways to achieve this increase: conservative biological control and augmentative biological control. The first is done by modifying the environment’s vegetation structure to favor natural enemies’ maintenance or their attraction to the crops. The second is done by mass rearing entomophagous and entomopathogen species with attributes that can ensure their function as control agents when released in crops. Among such agents, we emphasize those produced and marketed in Brazil for application in ornamental plants. Finally, we report on the technologies most recently employed to increase the appropriate use and the efficiency of these biological control agents.
Highlights
Biological control occurs naturally and continuously in the most diverse ecosystems on the planet
Perform a vital ecological service to ecosystems as it involves the action of certain species, known as control agents or natural enemies
We present the species of biological agents that are already available for commercialization aiming at the pests control in floriculture
Summary
Biological control occurs naturally and continuously in the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Organisms that act naturally in regulating the pests population have their populations controlled by natural enemies Closing this cycle, decomposers, such as fungi, bacteria, and many insects and other invertebrates, obtain their food from dead animals and plants and through the decomposition of waste from other animals, being responsible for the return of part of the nutrients used by plants. The use of ecosystem services provided by biological agents is according with incentives to use sustainable practices for food production and certifications in cellulose, ethanol, and flower production This demand has required the use of clean technologies to obtain products free of chemical residues, with desirable social and environmental returns. We present the technologies that have been used more recently to increase the appropriate use and efficiency of these agents in production systems
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