Integrated Pest Management in Agricultural Crops and Forest Ecosystems

The overuse of synthetic pesticides to control noxious arthropods in agroecosystems is of major importance due to health and environmental issues. Apart from concerns related to the negative impact of pesticides on humans, agricultural or domestic animals, and the environment, they can also induce irreversible damage to beneficial organisms (e.g., parasitoids, predators, pollinators), disrupting the overall ecological stability of both forest ecosystems and agroecosystems. This impact is further magnified by the repeated application of insecticides that facilitates the emergence and development of resistance, particularly in agroecosystems. It is thus mandatory to develop alternative, environmentally friendly approaches (e.g., classical biological control, pheromone-based networks, green insecticidal formulations) that can be incorporated into integrated pest management (IPM) in target ecosystems.