Minimising damage of invertebrate pests in canola through a better understanding of the impact of beneficial insects

The sustainable production of canola requires integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, in which cultural control, crop resistance, and biological control are used as important components, with chemical inputs applied only when absolutely needed to restrict pests from economically damaging densities. Natural enemies suppress populations of a wide range of insect pests, thus most of the potential pest species are managed to below outbreak levels in field crops. The value of the ecosystem service of pest control is estimated at more than US$400 billion per annum worldwide, but there is only limited quantitative information for the Australian situation. Despite interest, agricultural industries reporting to have adopted IPM rarely utilise natural enemies. Furthermore, relatively few research studies examining the role of predators and parasitoids in cropping systems measure their impact. Most studies examine species presence and/or abundance and then qualitatively infer impact. This means it is difficult to make informed pest control decisions incorporating natural enemy activity in absence of 'real' evidence of their impact. The purpose of this investment is to generate new knowledge about the biology of beneficial species in canola growing regions, their impact on key canola insect pests, and how to enhance their biological service.