Inoculative and conservation biological control: a win-win combination or the effective and resilient management of pests in Mediterranean subtropical crops

Abstract: The results obtained in the SABIOCONTROl project demonstrate that the joint
implementation of conservation biological control and augmentative biocontrol strategies has
a synergistic effect in improving the establishment of released natural enemies. In addition, the new release formats, as well as the new strains or species of natural enemies evaluated and finetuned in the project, have contributed to improving the efficiency of augmentative biocontrol. Although the initial investment in the new proposed strategy was somewhat higher in the first year, costs in the second year were comparable to those associated with conventional control strategies. In the current context, where there is a continuous reduction in authorised active substances, which is significantly affecting the effectiveness and future viability of chemical control strategies, the new strategy developed in SABIOCONTROL is expected to become a key solution for agricultural producers in the Mediterranean region.