Combining semiochemicals with ecological intensification to harness aphid biocontrol in various cropping settings.

Aphids are serious agricultural pests, colonizing more than a quarter of the existing plant species.

Control strategies unfortunately are highly dependent on chemical pesticides, with repercussions on ecosystem health, biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as human health.

This has led to many products such as neonicotinoids being withdrawn from the market, leaving farmers with few workable options to control aphids.

Biological control is seriously hampered by the mutualistic interaction of myrmecophilous aphids with ants, in which aphids recruit ants for protection against natural enemies, while providing honeydew in return.

To control myrmecophilous aphids, on top of ecological intensification, novel tools that utilize chemical ecology in improving exposure to natural enemies, while reducing the ant-protection is fundamental.

In this project, in two different farming settings (organic and conventional), and in two different cropping systems (annual vs perennial) I propose to assess 1) the potential role of novel semiochemicals in preserving or restoring the ecological services of aphid natural enemies, 2) the effect of disruption of myrmecophily on the population dynamics of aphids and natural enemies and 3) the functional response of the ants and natural enemies in aphid biological control.