Zhang, W. and S.M. Swinton
Presented at the ASM at Estes Park (2006-09-01 to 2012-09-23 )
The control of pests by their natural enemies represents an important ecosystem service that maintains the stability of agroecosystems and has the potential to mitigate pest control costs both to private producers and to society. Extending the “economic threshold” concept, we propose a “natural enemies-adjusted economic threshold (NEET)” for pesticide use that takes into account the implicit cost of injury to natural enemies. By explicitly accounting for natural pest suppression, the NEET can potentially make pest management more cost-effective while reducing dependence on toxic insecticides. The threshold is quantified via an intra-seasonal bioeconomic dynamic optimization model of soybean aphid management in Michigan, USA. The results highlight the importance of assessing both pest and natural enemy populations in making insecticide application decisions and accounting for the opportunity cost of insecticide use due to its collateral damage effect on natural enemies. We offer a preliminary, lower bound estimate of the economic value of natural pest suppression to optimal pest control as inferred from the insecticide input replacement cost per acre for the area where the natural enemy complex can suppress pest population below the level at which it causes damage.
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