110 Years of Biological Control Research and Development in the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture: 1883-1993

摘要

Research and implementation of biological control, briefly defined as the use ofnatural enemies and other beneficial organisms to control pests, began in North America with the first introduction of an exotic natural enemy in late 1883 by the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA's biological control programs have addressed many agricultural pests and have utilized a variety of natural enemies and antagonists. This report provides a brief chronicle of progress in these areas. Many successes have been demonstrated in USDA's classical biological control programs, saving growers more than $2 billion during just the past decade. Considerable progress has also been made toward the practical use of augmented insect and nematode natural enemies and in the development of pathogens for control of insects and weeds.