Advantages
Disadvanta
and
Biological
ges Control
of in
Agriculture
Index
Introduction
Advantages of biological
control
Disadvantage of biological
control
Conclusion
Introduction
Introduction
Biological control is a method of controlling
pests such as insects, weeds and plant
diseases using other organisms.[ It relies
on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other
natural mechanisms, but typically also
involves an active human management role.
It can be an important component
of integrated pest management (IPM)
programs. There are three basic types of
biological pest control strategies:
importation, augmentation and
conservation.
Advantages of biological
control
in agriculture
Fungi for the biological control of
insects pests
Advantages of biological control in
agriculture:
Biological control has no adverse
effect on human health or the
environment.
Biological control is self-sustaining.
Once the initial research work has
been completed and the biological
control agents released, little or no
further money is required.
Biological control reduces the
vigour, competitiveness and
reproductive capacity of the
weed, making it more
manageable.
DISADVANTAGES OF
BIOLOGICAL
CONTROL
1. Biological control can be fickle.
Ultimately, you can't control whatever
natural enemy you set loose in an
ecosystem. While it's supposed to
manage one pest, there is always the
possibility that your predator will switch
to a different target they might decide
eating your crops instead of the insects
infesting them is a better plan! Not only
that, but in introducing a new species to
an environment, there runs the risk of
disrupting the natural food chain.
2. It's a slow process. It takes a lot of time
and patience for the biological agents
to work their magic on a pest
population, whereas other methods
like pesticides work provide immediate
results. The upside to this is the long-
term effect biological control provides.