Greenhouses represent favorable environments for the application of biological control using predators and parasitoids. Although parasitoids are the backbone for many of the most successful biological control programs in greenhouses, there are actually relatively few species that are reared commercially and used widely by the greenhouse industry. These include Encarsia spp. for whitefly control, Diglyphus spp. and Dacnusa spp. for leafminer control, and Aphidius spp. for aphid control. The history and current viability of release methods, including seasonal, seasonal inoculative, inundative, and the banker-plant method, are discussed. Limitations imposed by mass-rearing, availability, and quality of parasitoids are serious impediments to the wide-scale adoption of biological control by this industry. In addition, there is a strong need to place biological control in greenhouses on a more scientific basis through a better understanding of the biology and phenology of the pest and natural enemy. A predictive model developed to estimate the number of parasitoids needed to provide biological control of the leafminerLiriomyza trifolii (Burgess) is used as an example of how a thorough understanding of basic biological parameters can lead to more scientific, predictable, and reliable biological control. Ultimately this will reinforce the use of biological control on crops where this technology is already successful and will provide avenues for expansion throughout the greenhouse industry.
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Parasitoids for Control of Greenhouse Pests
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