Towards integrated pest and pollinator management in tropical crops.

Biotic pollination and pest control are two critical insect-mediated ecosystem services that support crop production. Although management of both services is usually treated separately, the new paradigm of Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management (IPPM) suggests synergetic benefits by considering them together. We reviewed the management practices in two major tropical perennial crops: cocoa and coffee, to assess IPPM applications under the tropics. We found potential synergies and antagonisms among crop pest and pollination management, however, very few studies considered these interactions. Interestingly, we also found management practices focusing mainly on a single service mediated by insects although species can show multiple ecological functions as pests, natural enemies, or pollinators. The tropics represent a promising area for the implementation of IPPM and future research should address this concept to move towards a more sustainable agriculture. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Citation

Isabelle Merle, Juliana Hipólito, Fabrice Requier. Towards integrated pest and pollinator management in tropical crops. Current opinion in insect science. 2022 Apr;50:100866

Mesh Tags

PMID: 34971783

search → result