The importance of insect pest biocontrol for maize production: an expert survey

Maize is the most important staple crop in the world; 1.15 billion tons were produced in 2019. Insect herbivores cause significant damage for maize production, and as a result, global pesticide use has increased over the last 20 years causing severe environmental degradation and negative impacts on human health. Today, there is a trend toward including more sustainable management practices that are less harmful to biodiversity and human health. One such a practice is the use of natural enemies to regulate pest populations using conservation biocontrol or introduction of biocontrol agents. These practices have been in place for several decades in different cultivation systems and regions throughout the world, however; information about the effects of more sustainable management practices on maize production is scarce. We conducted an expert assessment to evaluate whether there are any general trends or consensus about the importance of biocontrol for maize production globally. We compiled information from 70 experts from 28 different countries using an online survey. Of those surveyed, 91% of experts agreed that biocontrol was important for maize production regardless the type of maize they study, the final harvest destination or crop use, or management regime. Using the information obtained, we identify several opportunities for engaging with farmers in order to use biocontrol as a tool toward agricultural sustainability.

玉米是全球最重要的主粮作物；2019年全球总产量达11.5亿吨。植食性昆虫会对玉米生产造成显著损害，因此过去二十年间全球农药使用量持续攀升，引发了严重的环境退化与人类健康负面影响。当前，业界正转向采用更具可持续性的管理措施，以降低对生物多样性与人类健康的危害。其中一类实践为借助天敌开展保护型生物防治（conservation biocontrol）或引入生物防治剂（biocontrol agent）以调控害虫种群。尽管此类实践已在全球各地不同耕作体系与区域应用数十年，但针对可持续管理措施对玉米生产影响的相关研究仍较为匮乏。本研究开展了一项专家评估，旨在探究全球范围内关于生物防治（biocontrol）对玉米生产重要性的认知是否存在通用趋势或共识。我们通过在线问卷收集了来自28个国家的70位专家的相关调研数据。受访专家中，91%的学者认为，无论所研究的玉米类型、收获用途、作物利用方式或管理模式如何，生物防治对玉米生产均具有重要价值。基于获取的调研数据，我们梳理出多项可引导农户将生物防治作为农业可持续发展工具的实践路径。