Continental-scale suppression of an invasive pest by a host-specific parasitoid underlines both environmental and economic benefits of arthropod biological control
Kris A.G. Wyckhuys,
Prapit Wongtiem,
Aunu Rauf,
Anchana Thancharoen,
George E. Heimpel,
Nhung T.T. Le,
Muhammad Zainal Fanani,
Geoff M. Gurr,
Jonathan G. Lundgren,
Dharani D. Burra,
Leo K. Palao,
Glenn Hyman,
Ignazio Graziosi,
Vi X. Le,
Matthew J.W. Cock,
Teja Tscharntke,
Steve D. Wratten,
Liem V. Nguyen,
Minsheng You,
Yanhui Lu,
Johannes W. Ketelaar,
Georg Goergen,
Peter Neuenschwander
Affiliations
Kris A.G. Wyckhuys
Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
Prapit Wongtiem
Rayong Field Crops Research Center, Thai Department of Agriculture, Rayong, Thailand
Aunu Rauf
Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia
Anchana Thancharoen
Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
George E. Heimpel
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States of America
Nhung T.T. Le
Plant Protection Research Institute, Hanoi, Vietnam
Muhammad Zainal Fanani
Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia
Geoff M. Gurr
Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
Jonathan G. Lundgren
Ecdysis Foundation, Estelline, United States of America
Dharani D. Burra
International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT, Hanoi, Vietnam
Leo K. Palao
International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT, Hanoi, Vietnam
Glenn Hyman
International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT, Cali, Colombia
Ignazio Graziosi
University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States of America
Vi X. Le
Plant Protection Research Institute, Hanoi, Vietnam
Matthew J.W. Cock
CABI, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Teja Tscharntke
University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
Steve D. Wratten
Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
Liem V. Nguyen
Plant Protection Research Institute, Hanoi, Vietnam
Minsheng You
Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
Yanhui Lu
Institute of Plant Protection, China Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Johannes W. Ketelaar
Food and Agriculture Organization, Bangkok, Thailand
Georg Goergen
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Cotonou, Benin
Peter Neuenschwander
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Cotonou, Benin
Biological control, a globally-important ecosystem service, can provide long-term and broad-scale suppression of invasive pests, weeds and pathogens in natural, urban and agricultural environments. Following (few) historic cases that led to sizeable environmental up-sets, the discipline of arthropod biological control has—over the past decades—evolved and matured. Now, by deliberately taking into account the ecological risks associated with the planned introduction of insect natural enemies, immense environmental and societal benefits can be gained. In this study, we document and analyze a successful case of biological control against the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) which invaded Southeast Asia in 2008, where it caused substantial crop losses and triggered two- to three-fold surges in agricultural commodity prices. In 2009, the host-specific parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was released in Thailand and subsequently introduced into neighboring Asian countries. Drawing upon continental-scale insect surveys, multi-year population studies and (field-level) experimental assays, we show how A. lopezi attained intermediate to high parasitism rates across diverse agro-ecological contexts. Driving mealybug populations below non-damaging levels over a broad geographical area, A. lopezi allowed yield recoveries up to 10.0 t/ha and provided biological control services worth several hundred dollars per ha (at local farm-gate prices) in Asia’s four-million ha cassava crop. Our work provides lessons to invasion science and crop protection worldwide. Furthermore, it accentuates the importance of scientifically-guided biological control for insect pest management, and highlights its potentially large socio-economic benefits to agricultural sustainability in the face of a debilitating invasive pest. In times of unrelenting insect invasions, surging pesticide use and accelerating biodiversity loss across the globe, this study demonstrates how biological control—as a pure public good endeavor—constitutes a powerful, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible solution for invasive species mitigation.
