Application helps identify natural enemies of agricultural pests

One of the biggest difficulties for producers is identifying the natural enemies of the pests that attack their crops, especially for those who intend to use them as a control method, as these natural allies can be confused with the pests themselves. To facilitate identification, experts from Embrapa Agrobiologia (RJ) developed an application with which it is possible to access images of the most common natural control agents. The InNat Guide is free and available for download from the Google Play app store.

With a smartphone in hand, the producer can compare an insect collected in the field with the image gallery. Furthermore, you can go to the field, photograph an insect present in your crop and compare the photo taken with your cell phone camera with the images in the InNat Guide gallery at the same time. In addition to photos, the application contains information about each group of natural enemies and their function in nature. “The presence of beneficial insects in the crop is of no use if the farmer confuses them with those that can cause damage to the plantation”, warns Embrapa researcher Alessandra de Carvalho Silva, specialist in biological pest control and one of the creators of the application. .

strong

The InNat Guide's image gallery includes 13 families of predatory insects, plus parasitoids and spiders. They are generalist natural enemies, that is, they are not very specific and eat a large number of insect pests. The tool makes it possible, for example, to identify a specific insect frequently seen in crops. “It is also a way for the producer to know if his area is ecologically well. If there are more natural enemies, it is because management is adequate”, explains Carvalho.

The fact that the application contains information about the role of natural enemies as a control agent helps the farmer when making decisions. The ladybug, for example, comes with the information that its larvae and adults feed, preferably on aphids, scale insects, mites, whiteflies, larvae and also on eggs of different insects. Therefore, if the producer finds ladybugs in a crop attacked by aphids, he will know that the pest population will soon be reduced, as the Embrapa researcher explains. “InNat can facilitate the understanding of who the villains are and which insects are beneficial for crops”, she emphasizes.

If there are caterpillars in the field and the farmer finds the insect known as “earwig” in the plantation, with InNat in hand, he will realize that this is a very useful natural enemy. “[Earwigs] They are predators of eggs, aphids, whiteflies, small caterpillars...”, informs the application, which also includes ten photos of this control agent. If in doubt, simply photograph the insect present in the crop and compare it with the photos in the application.

Alessandra Carvalho explains that earwigs tend to be feared by some people, hence the importance of clarification. “The pincers that the insect has at the end of its abdomen give it an aggressive appearance; If a person doesn't know how much it can contribute to the reduction of caterpillars in crops, since it feeds on moth eggs, it could be killed,” laments the scientist.

strong

For producers who use integrated pest management (IPM), the application can be a facilitator. The practice seeks to preserve and increase natural mortality factors through the integrated use of techniques that aim to maintain insect density below a level that could cause economic damage. A phytophagous insect (which feeds on plants) is only considered a pest if it causes economic damage, before that no curative measures are necessary.

Whether through the assessment of natural biological control in the agroecosystem, through the action of native natural enemies or through the use of applied biological control, with the release of natural enemies in the field, the recognition of these agents by the producer is extremely important for the success of IPM . “Without due recognition of these beneficial organisms, the following steps of IPM are compromised”, explains the scientist.

Since the population balance of phytophagous insects in crops depends on natural control agents, the researcher emphasizes that the application can assist in this agricultural practice. “Entomopathogenic microorganisms (which cause diseases in insects), as well as predators and parasitoids are freely available from nature and we just have to recognize and preserve them to achieve success in agricultural production”, advises the specialist.