Journal
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
Volume 17, Issue 1, Pages 35-49Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1006/bcon.1999.0777
Keywords
natural enemies; parasitoids; predators; arthropods; herbivores; plant attributes; indirect plant defenses; biological control; crop manipulation
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This paper demonstrates the necessity to consider plants as an essential and interactive component of biological control practices. Plants not only possess direct chemical and morphological defenses against herbivores but also benefit from indirect defenses provided by parasitoids and predators, which use herbivores as hosts or prey. Plants play an active role in the interplay between entomophagous arthropods and herbivores and actually mediate many of the interactions, thereby influencing the intensity of protection received. Herein, we review how plant attributes influence natural enemy efficiency by providing shelter, mediating host/prey accessibility, providing host/prey finding cues, influencing host/prey suitability, mediating host/prey availability, and providing supplemental food sources for natural enemies. In light of this crucial role, we suggest ways of manipulating morphological and chemical attributes of crop plants for a more sustainable and balanced control of insect pests in agro-ecosystems. (C) 2000 Academic Press.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available