Biological control in Colombia.

Abstract

Abstract The history of biological control of agricultural pests in Colombia dates back to 1880. The first documented cases include both classical biocontrol and the use of biopesticides against insect pests. The need to protect four national production systems of great economic importance (oil palm, sugarcane, coffee and greenhouse flowers and vegetables crops) from arthropod pests by reducing insecticide use has stimulated the development of research centres that support, together with local universities, the research and implementation of augmentative biocontrol programmes. Conservation biocontrol is a recent activity in Colombia. Although there are more than 52 officially registered companies in the country that produce microbial control agents (entomopathogenic fungi, bacteria, nematodes, baculoviruses and antagonistic microorganisms, including fungi and bacteria), predators and parasitoids, it is necessary to implement more rigorous quality control programmes in the production phase. Additionally, there is only a small amount of officially registered biocontrol agents, which is a limiting factor in their commercialization. Despite the quantity and diversity of agents released in Colombia, there are only partial records of the area under biocontrol, which is estimated at approximately 550,000 ha. It is necessary to implement post-release monitoring studies to determine the effectiveness of the biocontrol agent used. As an obstacle in Colombia and several other countries, the application of the principles of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is highlighted, which has made it very difficult or impossible to collect and export natural enemies which are essential for biocontrol programmes.