Using nematodes for biological control of crop pests

Mankaba Matshidiso Whitney Matli, an agricultural economist part of the Agricultural Research Council Professional Development Programme, discusses the importance of biological control to decrease the damage caused by various crop pests without harming the environment.

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Concerns about the use of chemical pesticides (resistance development, risks to human and animal health and the negative effects on the environment and non-target organisms) have prompted governments around the world to develop policies that regulate their use and seek alternatives.

Biological control is the employment of natural enemies to decrease the damage caused by pests to bearable levels. Organisms are used in biological control strategies, but they usually need active human management as well. There are numerous advantages of making use of biological control measures.

For one, they optimise the cost of production (a benefit to the farmer) and the cost of food (a benefit to the consumer) while also providing the longterm benefit of increased overall food production.

Moreover, they fit well as components of integrated pest management (IPM). IPM is defined as a sustainable approach to crop production and protection that combines different management strategies and practices to grow healthy crops and minimise the use of pesticides.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations promotes IPM as the preferred approach to crop protection and regards it as a pillar of both sustainable intensification of crop production and pesticide risk reduction.

Sustainable crop production is a form of farming that focuses on having minimum environmental and human health implications and includes the maintenance of farm economic stability, enhancement of farmers’ techniques and quality of life.

HOW EPNS WORK

Various types of biological control agents have been used successfully over the years. One is entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs).