Augmentative biological control of arthropods in Latin America

Augmentative forms of biological control, where natural enemies are periodically introduced, are applied over large areas in various cropping systems in Latin America. About 25% of the world area under augmentative control is situated in this region. Well-known examples are the use of species of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma for management of Lepidoptera in various crops. In Mexico, for example, about 1.5 million hectares are treated with Trichogramma spp. Application of Trichogramma also occurs on large areas in Colombia and Cuba, but use is limited in other Latin American countries for economic reasons, the generally low level of education of farmers, and, more importantly, because of the intensive use of pesticides that prevents use of natural enemies. Of the other egg parasitoids, the main species used in commercial releases are Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) against the heteropteran Nezara viridula (L.) in soybean in Brazil, and Telenomus remus Nixon against Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) in corn in Venezuela. Natural enemies attacking larval and pupal stages are not used to a large extent in augmentative biological control in field crops, with the exception of the use of Cotesia parasitoids against sugarcane borers in Brazil and several other Latin American countries. In addition to the use of parasitoids and predators, Latin America is applying microbial control agents on a large scale, such as viruses for control of caterpillars in soybean, fungi for control of pests in coffee, cotton and sugar cane, and nematodes for control of soil pests. A recent development in biological control in Latin America is the use of natural enemies and antagonists for disease and pest control in protected cultivation, for example, in Colombia, Brazil and Peru. Up to date, reliable figures on current use of inundative and seasonal inoculative biological control appeared hard to obtain, but it is clear that Latin America currently is a main player in the field of augmentative releases.