Course: Biological Pest Control (3603-491)

Persons:

• Prof.Dr. Claus Zebitz (verantwortlich)

Type of Course:

lecture

In-Class Hours Per Week:

4

Contents:

1. Introduction
Aims, scopes and target groups of biological pest control, suitable natural antagonists; strategies of biological pest control, short and long-term effects.

2. Biology of natural antagonists of pest arthropods
Entomopathogenic Viruses:
Overview on entomopathogenic viruses; pathogenesis and specificy; persistence in the environment; formulation and synergisation of viruses; production of viruses; application and application technique; examples of successful control using viruses, limitation of entomopathogenic viruses
Entomopathogenic Bacteria:
Overview on entomopathogenic bacteria with emphasis on Bacillus thuringiensis, B. popilliae, B. sphaericus ; pathogenesis and specificy of entomopathogenic bacteria; persistence in the environment formulation and synergisation of bacteria, application and application technique; examples of successful control and limitations of using entomopathogenic bacteria.
Protozoans:
Short overview on successful control, risks and limitations of entomopathogenic protozoans
Entomopathogenic fungi:
Overview on entomopathogenic fungi; infection biologye, pathogenesis and specificy of entomopathogenic fungi; morphological and mol.-biol. characterisation of specific strains of selected fungal species (e.g. Metarhizium anisopliae, Beauveria brongniartii, B. bassiana, Verticillium lecanii, Paecilomyces fumosoroseus); persistence in the environment; application and application technique and specific uses; examples of successful control and limitations of using entomopathogenic fungi.
Nematodes:
Overview on entomopathogenic nematodes; infection biology; production, application and use.
Arthropods:
Short overview of predacious and parasitoid life forms; antagonist spectrum of a (pest)species; selection of suitable antagonists (type, species, adaptation to prey or host, resp., ecotypes, specificy, prey/host preferences); importance of additional (pollen, carbohydrates) and alternative food; describing antagonistic performance under controlled conditions and in practice; impact of other crop protection measures; lab-to-land-transfer of results (i), into different crops (ii); into different agroecosystems (iii) (climate, crop, frame conditions); successful and failing biocontrol using predators and parasitoids with causal analysis; risks of biocontrol using arthropods.

3. Economical importance of biolocical pest control.

4. Perspectives of biolocical pest control.

Literature:

The scriptum can be downloaded from The ILIAS-platform and comprises the lecture presentations, additional and advanced original literature.

Location:

Hohenheim

Module:

• 3603-490 Biological Pest Control (compulsory)