Biological control

A wide range of biological control pathways of insect pests and diseases are studied in the LAE: (i) conservation biological control via the bottom-up effect of vegetation (eg dilution, physical or visual barrier, allelopathy) or the top-down effect of natural enemies (predators and parasitoids), and (ii) biological controls through introduction or amplification via the identification of microorganisms or biomolecules (biostimulants, allelochemical molecules), their culture or synthesis and the assessment of their effect in the field. The challenge lies in studying the possibilities of combining these different biological control pathways to maximize biological control services and thus make it possible to drastically limit the use of pesticides, or even eliminate them.