In the ongoing fight against crop pests, researchers have identified a new approach that could help boost the success of biocontrol agents. A new study, published in the journal Current Biology, shows that when the evolutionary dynamics of the pest and its natural enemies are taken into account, biocontrol agents can be used to more effectively and sustainably control crop pests.

By studying the evolution of a particular pest, the cabbage root fly, researchers were able to identify how the evolution of pests can influence the effectiveness of various biocontrol approaches. The team found that when the pest evolved in response to the biocontrol agent, the pest population was better able to survive the biocontrol agent and the agent’s effects were reduced.

The findings suggest that when deploying biocontrol agents, it is important to take into account the evolutionary dynamics of the pest and its natural enemies in order to ensure the effectiveness of the biocontrol agent in the long term.

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In the fight against crop pests, researchers have identified a new approach to help boost the success of biocontrol agents. A study has shown that when the evolutionary dynamics of the pest and its natural enemies are

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source: Phys.org