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Multitrophic Interactions: The Entomovector Technology

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Arthropod-Plant Interactions

Part of the book series: Progress in Biological Control ((PIBC,volume 14))

Abstract

The entomovector technology (Hokkanen and Menzler-Hokkanen 2007; Mommaerts and Smagghe 2011) utilizes insects as vectors of biological control agents for targeted precision biocontrol towards plant pests and diseases, providing an intriguing example of multitrophic interactions. As the insect vector normally is a pollinator of the crop plant, it adds a further dimension to these interactions. The technology depends on bee management, manipulation of bee behaviour, components of the cropping system, and on the plant-pathogen-vector-antagonist-system. We investigate in this chapter how to exploit and support the natural ecological functions of biocontrol and pollination, and enhance these via innovative management. Recent systematic developments of the entomovector technology are described, with focus on the component technologies such as the dispensers and carrier substances (see Mommaerts and Smagghe 2011; Mommaerts et al. 2011; Hokkanen et al. 2012). With functioning dispensers and improved, new microbiological control agents (MCA) available, excellent results have been obtained, and will be described in two case studies. The first involves open field studies conducted in Finland with honey bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae)) as the vector of “Prestop-Mix”, containing Gliocladium catenulatum J1446 (Hypocreales, Bionectriaceae), to control Botrytis cinerea Pers.: Fr. (Helotiales: Sclerotiniaceae) in strawberries, and the second describes the efficiency of bumble bees (Bombus terrestris Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae)) to vector the commercial product “Prestop-Mix” to control B. cinerea in strawberries in the greenhouse.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge support for their research by the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen), the Flemish agency for Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT-Vlaanderen), the Special Research Funds of Ghent University and of VUB, NordForsk grant 70066 (Entomovector technology), NordForsk Project no. 45941 (BICOPOLL-NET), and CORE-Organic II project “BICOPOLL” in an ERA-NET funded by the European Commission’s 7th Framework Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Guy Smagghe & Veerle Mommaerts

  2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Veerle Mommaerts

  3. Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Latokartanonkaari 5, 27, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Heikki Hokkanen & Ingeborg Menzler-Hokkanen

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  1. Guy Smagghe
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  2. Veerle Mommaerts
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  3. Heikki Hokkanen
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  4. Ingeborg Menzler-Hokkanen
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Correspondence to Guy Smagghe .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty Bioscience Engineering, Crop Protection, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent, 9000, Belgium

    Guy Smagghe

  2. Centr de Biotecn. y Genómica de plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Autovía M40 (km 38), Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Madrid, Spain

    Isabel Diaz

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Smagghe, G., Mommaerts, V., Hokkanen, H., Menzler-Hokkanen, I. (2012). Multitrophic Interactions: The Entomovector Technology. In: Smagghe, G., Diaz, I. (eds) Arthropod-Plant Interactions. Progress in Biological Control, vol 14. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3873-7_5

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