Biological control (from the ecological viewpoint) is, “the action of parasites, predators, or pathogens in maintaining another organism's population density at a lower average than would occur in their absence.”

1. COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, RAIPUR
INDIRA GANDHI KRISHI VISHWAVIDHYALAYA
RAIPUR, (CHHATTISGARH)
BY,
SAURABH PADAMSHALI
Ph.D. Scholar
Department of Entomo,logy
A PRESENTATION ON,

2. Biological control
*Biological control (from the ecological viewpoint) is,
“the action of parasites, predators, or pathogens in maintaining
another organism's population density at a lower average than would
occur in their absence.”
*Biological control can be defined as,
“the pest management tactic involving purposeful manipulation
to obtain a reduction in pest status.”
*Biological pest supression is,
“the successful pest suppression by means of other living
organisms, encouraged and disseminated by man.”

3. *Accor. to de Bach (1964),
Biological control is, “the study of utilization of parasites ,
predators and pathogens for regulation of host population densities.”
*Accor. to Shankaran & Nagarkatti (1976),
“it is a simple method involving the use of living organisms to
control injurious organisms or target species such as insects, mites,
other harmful animals or they may be weeds or other unwanted
plants.”
*Accor. to Hill (1983),
“this is the deliberate introduction of predators, parasites or
pathogens into pest’s crop agro-ecosystem and is desired to reduce
the pest population to a level at which the damage is not serious.”

4. NATURAL ENEMIES
 Natural enemies are essential pest control agents,
 They interact with their hosts in a cyclical homeostasis, and
 They prevents many plant-feeding insects from becoming economic pests.
ADVANTAGES :-
Natural enemies possess,
• high searching capacity,
• host specificity,
• potential rate of increase,
• widely distributed,
• adapted to broad range of climatic conditions,
• suitable for lab culture.

5. Types of Natural Enemies
* Pathogens
A microorganism that lives and feeds (parasitically)
on or in a larger host organism and thereby causes injury to
it is known as a pathogen. Example- viruses, bacteria (and
their toxins), protozoa, fungi, nematodes, etc.
* Predator
An animal that feeds upon other animals (prey) that
are either smaller or weaker than itself.
* Parasitoid
A parasitic insect that lives in or on and eventually
kills a larger host insect (or other arthropod).

6. s.
No.
NATURAL ENEMY FAMILY CROP PESTS
1 Rodolia cardinalis Coccinellidae
Coleoptera
Cottony cushion scale (Icerya purchasi)
2 Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Coccinellida
Coleoptera
Mealy bugs and scale insects
3 Paederus fuscipes
(Rove beetle)
Staphylinidae
Coleoptera
Mites, dipteran larvae,lepidopteran
eggs,larvae & pupae,leaf and plant
hoppers
4 Ophionia indica Carabidae
Coleoptera
Eggs & larvae of lepidoptera,leaf and
plant hoppers, other small insects
5 Phoropsophus sp. Carabidae
Coleoptera
Grubs of rhinoceros beetle
6 Chrysoperla carnea
(Green lace wing) Neuroptera
Aphids, white flies, lepidopteran eggs&
larvae
7 Hemerobius sp.
(Brown lace wing)
Hemerobiidae
Neuroptera
Aphids,mealy bugs, white flies, adelgids
8 Rhynocoris fuscipes
(Assassian bug)
Reduviidae
Hemiptera
H. armigera larvae
Aphids, leaf-hoppers, larvae & adult
beetles
Important predators of some crop pests

7. s.
No.
NATURAL ENEMY FAMILY CROP PESTS
9 Platymeris laevicollis Reduviidae
Hemiptera
Rhinoceros beetle
Aphids, leaf-hoppers, larvae & adult beetles
10 Anthocoris sp. Anthocoridae
Hemiptera
Adelgids ,aphids, soft bodied insects, insect
eggs & mites
11 Orius sp. Anthocoridae
Hemiptera
H. Armigera
12 Cyrtorhinus lividipennis Miridae
Hemiptera
Eggs & early instar nymphs of leaf & plant
hoppers, leaf roller
13 Deraecoris sp. Miridae
Hemiptera
Aphids
14 Geocoris sp. Lygaeidae
Hemiptera
Aphids, mealy bugs, leafhoppers, eggs & small
caterpillars & grubs, spider mites
15 Hover flies
(Episyrphus balteatus, Metasyrphus
sp.)
Syrphiidae
Dipteral
Aphids & adelgids
16 Leucopis sp. Chamaemyiidae Aphids, mealy bugs,soft scales

8. S.N
O.
NATURAL ENEMY FAMILY &
ORDER
CROP PEST
1 Epiricania
melanoleuca
Lycaenidae
Lepidoptera
Ectoparasitoid of sugarcane leaf hopper ,scales, mealy
bugs, aphids
2 Trichogramma sp. Trichogrammatidae
Hymenoptera
Egg parasitoid of different lepidopteran, coleopteran,
dipteran, hemipteran & hymenopteran pests
3 Telenomous sp. Scelionidae
Hymenoptera
Egg parasitoid of lepidopteran, coleopteran, dipteran,
hemipteran & hymenopteran pests
4 Anagrus sp. Mymaridae
Hymenoptera
Egg parasitoid of different lepidopteran, coleopteran, dipteran,
hemipteran pests especially leaf & plant hoppers
5 Bracon sp. Braconidae
Hymenoptera
Gregarious larval ecto-parasitoid of lepidopteran pests
6 Cotesia plutella Braconidae
Hymenoptera
Solitory larval endo-parasitoid of DBM
7 Apanteles sp. Braconidae
Hymenoptera
Solitory larval endo-parasitoid of P. gossypiella
8 Campoletis chloridae Ichneumonidae
Hymenoptera
Larval parasitoid of H. armigera
9 Gonozius
nephantidis
Bethlidae
Hymenoptera
Gregarious ecto-larval parasitoid of Opisina arenosella
1
0
Sturmiopsis inferens Tachinidae
Diptera
Larval parasites of sugarcane borer
Important parasitoides of some crop pests

9. Attributes of An Effective Natural Enemy
Ecological compatibility,
The ecological requirements of the natural enemies have to be similar to
that of target pest.
Temporal synchronization,
The life cycle of the natural enemy must synchronize with that of host for
effective regulation. If there are areas in space and time in periods that permit
escape of host / prey then the effort will end in failure.
 Density responsiveness,
The natural enemy should exhibit functional response within generation
and numerical response over generations.
Reproductive potential,
High reproductive capacity through short generation time and high
fecundity of the natural enemy will exert significant control over the pest.

10. Searching capacity,
A natural enemy that can destroy pests separated by a large mean distance
is more desirable than one which destroys the same percentage of pests existing in
closer proximity is favoured,
Dispersal capacity,
Ability of the natural enemy to rapidly expand its territory of influence in
space to coincide with that of the host is favoured in classical approach.
 Host specificity and compatibility,
The natural enemy selected in classical biological control programme
should not be euryphagous and there will be host switch. Mono/Oligophagous
natural enemies have high degree of biological adaptation and respond in a density
dependent manner.
 Hyperparasitoidism,
To fully realize the potential of the agent against the target pest, they must
be free from their own natural enemies that restraint the effectiveness.
Culturability,
The natural enemy selected should be amenable for large scale mass-
culture. This will aid in colonization efforts.

11. Applied Biological Control
*Accor. to Copper & Martins (1977),
“the use or encouragement of natural enemies or their
products by man for population reduction of pests.”
3 major categories:
* CLASSICAL BIOLOGICAL CONTROL:
- the control of a pest species is done by introducing natural
enemies.
* AUGMENTATION OF NATURAL ENEMIES:
- actions are taken to increase the populations or beneficial effects
of natural enemies.
* CONSERVATION OF NATURAL ENEMIES:
- the pre-mediated actions are purposely taken to protect and
maintain the population of natural enemies.

12. Classical biological control
*Classical biological control is,
“ the process of finding natural enemies of invasive pests
and their introduction into a new locale where they did
not originate or do not occur naturally and importing,
releasing and establishing these natural enemies to
control the exotic pest.”
*In Classical biological control, both pest as well as its
natural enemy is exotic.

13. Principles of Classical Biological Control
1. Adventive pest identification,
2. Foreign exploration for specialized natural enemies in the
pest's home range,
3. Importation and mass rearing of natural enemies,
4. Establishment, redistribution and impact monitoring of
imported natural enemies,
5. Conservation of natural enemy.

14. Classical Biological Control in India
• About 82 natural enemies have been studied for utilization against crop pests and weeds, out
of which 61 natural enemies were successfully multiplied in the laboratory and used.
• Presently 2 are providing partial control, 3 substantial control and 4 are providing economic
benefits (Project Directorate of Biological Control Annual Report, 2004).
Examples of exotic natural enemies of pests in India Insect pests
Cryptolaernus montrouzieri from Australia against Coccus viridis. But established on
Planococcus spp., mealy bugs etc.,
Rodolia cardinalis from USA against Icerya purchasi in citrus and casuarina
Telenomus remus from New Guinea against Spodoptera litura on tobacco
Eriborus trochanteratus from Srilanka against, Opisina arenosella in coconut
Leptomastix dactylopii from West India guava against Planococcus citri in citrus, coffee,
Curinus coerulus from Thailand against Heteropsylla cabana in subabul.
Cephalonomia stephanoderis against coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei
Weeds
Cryptobagous salviniae from Argentina against Salvinia molesta in Kerala.
Neochaetina bruchi, Neochaetina eichhorniae and Orthogalumna terebrantis against
Eichhornia crassipes from Brazil.
Zygogramma bicolorata from Mexico against Parthenium hysterophorus

15. Conclusion
The classical biological control is a very
important tool for management of agricultural
crop-pests without harming environment, i.e.,
Its eco-friendly. Therefore, it should be
encouraged as much as possible.