Diagnóstico de la utilización de entomófagos y entomopatógenos para el control biológico de insectos por los agricultores en cuba

biological control of insect pests is traditional in cuba and it has been impelled from 1988, with the creation of entomophagous and entomopathogens reproductive centers and the biopesticides plants, sustained in a qualification and innovation system that is coordinated and executed by plant health research institute and the net of plant health provincial laboratories and plan protection territorial stations. with the objective of upgrading the pests and cultivations where biological controllers are used in the agricultural systems of the country, the present work was carried out by means of exercises in national workshops realized in september 2003 and april 2004, with the participation of 56 and 78 specialists, respectively, who realize qualification, technical consultantship and innovation in biological control and pest management in the different provinces of the country. it was determined that cuban farmers have adopted 217 parasitoids species for the control of 73 pest-cultivations, six predators species for 14 pest-cultivations, four strains of the bacteria bacillus thuringiensis for 25 pest-cultivations, five species of entomopathogen fungus for 52 pest-cultivations and the entomopathogen nematode h. bacteriophora for 11 pest-cultivations, for a total of 30 biological controllers. of the total of pest-cultivations where these biological controllers are used (175), 90.3% has been from processes of innovation carried out later on to the beginning of the biological control program (1988-1995).