Dalin, Peter
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Research article2011Peer reviewed
Global land-use change and the importance of zoophytophagous bugs in biological control: Coppicing willows as a timely example
Dalin, Peter; Björkman, Christer
Abstract
Perennial plants, such as willows, miscanthus, and hybrid poplars, are promising bioenergy crops while lowering atmospheric CO(2). Increases in the acreage of perennial bioenergy crops will pose new challenges and opportunities for biological control. In this review, we suggest that zoophytophagous bugs could be expected to become increasingly important in biological control of arthropod pests in perennial bioenergy crops. The main reasons are: (1) perennial bioenergy crops provide suitable habitats for arboreal natural enemies like zoophytophagous bugs; (2) zoophytophagous bugs often increase in response to low disturbance frequencies; and (3) plant-feeding by zoophytophagous bugs will not likely affect plant biomass production in perennial crops. We review aspects of the biology of zoophytophagous bugs expected to be important in biological control of pests in perennial systems. We also present a predator-prey model investigating how alternative harvest methods affect biological control of herbivorous pests by zoophytophagous bugs in willow biomass plantations. Although there is good evidence that zoophytophagous bugs can provide pest control, more research is needed about factors affecting the dispersal and population dynamics of zoophytophagous bugs in agricultural landscapes. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Land-use change; Zoophytophagous; Perennial systems; Bioenergy; Biological control; Harvest
Published in
Biological Control
2011, Volume: 59, number: 1, pages: 6-12
Publisher: ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
Björkman, Christer
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Agricultural Science
Renewable Bioenergy Research
Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
Publication identifier
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2011.01.010
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/57199