Abstract
The dispersion capacity of natural enemies, either as biological control agents released or applied into crops or as natural enemies that inhabit the agroecosystem, is of great importance for the sustainability of pest management. It may happen/occur in three different ways: biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic, or combinations of these. However, the complexity of the interactions between natural enemies and their crops (or even other host plants), as well as the characteristics of the agroecosystems, constitute decisive factors in the necessity and success of the dispersion. For this chapter, we carried out an analysis, with examples of scientific results and practical experiences, of the dispersion of natural enemies in agroecosystems, for their importance in the capacity of pest populations self-regulation, by means of the boarding of the following aspects: (a) dispersion routes; (b) dispersion factors; (c) dispersion of entomopathogens by their phytophagues and other hosts; (d) dispersion of entomopathogens by entomophagous, and (e) anthropogenic dispersion. The complexity of designing systems of mixed cultivations and the integration of auxiliary vegetation structures into the matrix of the production systems, among other practices, are facilitating the dispersion of natural enemies.
Published Version
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