Natural reproduction of entomophages to restore biocenotic regulation in cereal crops

Recently, plant protection methods based on pest regulation by entomophages, naturally inhabiting the crops or attracted thereto, become more preferable. This relevant approach to agro landscape construction necessitates seeking for ways to activate natural cenotic mechanisms, e.g. via optimized crop rotation, created micro reservoirs of desirable species, botanical diversity of protective forest belts, roadsides and other natural plant communities etc. Telenomines ( Hymenoptera: Platygastroidae: Scelionida, Telenominae subfamily), the egg parasites of E. integriceps, are a powerful regulator of sunn pest Eurygaster integriceps Put. abundance. These entomophages are of particular interest worldwide as they are the most numerous not only on bread wheats but also on tilled crops. For a long time, researchers from Russia and other wheat producing countries, where E. integriceps pests pose a threat to crops, were concentrated on the laboratory reproduction of telenomines for field use...