Interactions Among Biological control agents

Azmi, Alireza

doi:10.22059/giahpzshsj.2026.414627.1056

Document Type : Scientific-Extensional Article

Author

Alireza azmi

Department of plant protection Tehran University

https://doi.org/10.22059/giahpzshsj.2026.414627.1056

Abstract

Biological control, as one of the key components of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), has received special attention from researchers and plant protection specialists in recent decades. With the increasing production and commercialization of biological control agents, the issue of interactions among different biological control agents has gained greater importance, because the success or failure of many field programs depends on the quality and nature of these interactions. These interactions can occur as synergism, antagonism (where one agent weakens the effect of another), or neutrality. The most important groups involved in such interactions include parasitoids, predators, fungi, bacteria, viruses, and entomopathogenic nematodes. This review article aims to investigate the types of positive and negative interactions among biological control agents, the underlying mechanisms of these interactions, the environmental factors affecting them, and their practical implications in pest management. The conclusion of this review indicates that a precise understanding of interaction mechanisms and their consideration in the design of biological control programs can lead to increased efficiency and sustainability of integrated pest management methods.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Review article

References

Burke, G. & Strand, M. (2012). Polydnaviruses of Parasitic Wasps: Domestication of Viruses to Act as Gene Delivery Vectors. Insects, 3: 91-119.

Chaudhary, R. (2024). Interactions among microbial biocontrol agents: A mechanistic review. Biological Control, 192: 105150.

Chandler, D., Grant, W. P., Greaves, J., & Prince, G. (2022). Biological control in plant protection: An overview of recent advances. Pest Management Science, 78(4): 1501–1515.

Cusumano, A., Peri, E., Alınç, T., & Colazza, S. (2022). Contrasting reproductive traits of competing parasitoids facilitate coexistence on a shared host pest in a biological control perspective. Pest Management Science, 78(8): 3376–3383.

Cicero, L., Chavarín‑Gómez, L. E., Pérez‑Ascencio, D., Barreto‑Barriga, O., Guevara, R., Desneux, N., & Ramírez‑Romero, R. (2024). Influence of alternative prey on the functional response of a predator in two contexts: With and without intraguild predation. Insects, 15(5): 315.

Finke, D. L., & Denno, R. F. (2002). Intraguild predation strong, omnivory weak: A meta-analysis of predation among arthropod predators. Ecology, 83(3): 745–752.

Hajek, AE. & Eilenberg J. (2018). Ecological Basis for Use of Predators, Parasitoids, and Pathogens to Control Pests. In: Natural Enemies: An Introduction to Biological Control, 109-136.

Harvey, J. A., Poelman, E. H., & Tanaka, T. (2013). Intrinsic inter‑ and intraspecific competition in parasitoid wasps. Annual Review of Entomology, 58: 333–351.

Jiang, H., Zhang, Y., & Wang, X. (2023). Entomopathogens and parasitoids allied in biocontrol: A systematic review. Biocontrol Science and Technology, 33(7): 785–802.

Kuramitsu, K., Kainoh, Y & Konno, K. (2025). Multiparasitism enables a specialist endoparasitoid to complete parasitism in an unsuitable host caterpillar. Scientific Reports, 15:8361.

Koller, J., Sutter, L., Gonthier, J., Collatz, J. & Norgrove, L. (2023). Entomopathogens and Parasitoids Allied in Biocontrol: A Systematic Review. Pathogens, 12(7): 957.

Krey, K., Smith, O., Chapman, E., Crossley, M., Crowder, D., Fu, Z., Harwood, J., Jensen, A., Lynch, C., Snyder, G. & Snyder, W. 2021. Prey and predator biodiversity mediate aphid consumption by generalists. Biological Control, 160: 10465.

Půža, V. (2023). Interactions between entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi: Compatibility and antagonism. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 196: 107024.

Půža, V., & Tarasco, E. (2023). Interactions between Entomopathogenic Fungi and Entomopathogenic Nematodes. Microorganisms, 11(1): 163.

Rosenheim, J. A., Wilhoit, L. R., & Armer, C. A. (1995). Influence of intraguild predation among generalist insect predators on the suppression of an herbivore population. Ecology, 76(4): 1596–1611.

Snyder, W. E., & Ives, A. R. (2003). Interactions between specialist and generalist predators: Parasitoid-mediated competition and predation. Ecology, 84(10): 2606–2617.

Warsi, S., Chicas‑Mosier, A. M., Balusu, R. R., Jacobson, A. L., & Fadamiro, H. Y. (2023). Direct and indirect competitive interactions between Ooencyrtus nezarae and Paratelenomus saccharalis parasitizing Megacopta cribraria egg patches. Insects, 14(1): 35.

Xue, C., Li, X., Qin, H‑X., Zhang, L., Yang, M‑F., Wu, C‑X., & Liu, J‑F. (2025). Predator–parasitoid interaction between Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Pyemotes zhonghuajia (Prostigmata: Pyemotidae) in aphid control. Journal of Economic Entomology, 118(2): 505–513.

Plant Protection specialist

Interactions Among Biological control agents

References

References

Volume 24, Issue 2 - Serial Number 8
March 2026
Pages 34-43

Interactions Among Biological control agents

References

References

Volume 24, Issue 2 - Serial Number 8March 2026Pages 34-43

Volume 24, Issue 2 - Serial Number 8
March 2026
Pages 34-43