Abstract
The Cuban government has undertaken the task of transforming insect pest and weed management from conventional to organic and more sustainable approaches on a nationwide basis. This paper addresses past programs and current major areas of research and implementation as well as provides examples of programs in insect and weed management. Topics covered include the newly constructed network of Centers for the Reproduction of Entomophages and Entomopathogens (CREEs), which provide the infrastructure for the implementation of biological control on state, cooperative, and private farm operations. CREE programs include the mass rearing and release of Trichogramma spp. to manage insect pests of cassava, tobacco, sugarcane, and improved pasture. The entomopathogens, Bacillus thuringiensis, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Verticillium lecanii, are being mass produced in the CREEs and applied to control a number of key insect pests. A traditional method employed by peasant farmers of using the predatory ant Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius) in the biological control of sweetpotato and banana insect pests has been further developed and implemented. Efforts are underway to rear nematode species that attack insect pests and identify plant extracts with insecticidal qualities as potential management tools. Weed management has moved away from dependence on herbicides and toward alternative techniques that include weed suppression based on rotation schemes, limited use of selective herbicides, and new tillage equipment and practices.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Binns, M. R. and J. P. Nyrop. “Sampling insect populations for the purpose of IPM decision making.”Annual Review of Entomology, 37 (1992): 427–453.
Castiñeiras, A., S. Caballero, G. Rego, and M. González. “Efectividad técnico-económica del empleo la hormiga leonaPheidole magachephala en el control de tetuán del boniatoCylas formicarius elegantulus.”Ciencia Tecnología y Agricultura, Suplemento Diciembre (1982): 103–109.
DeBach, P. “The scope of biological control.” InBiological Control of Insect Pests and Weeds, ed. P. DeBach. 3–20. New York: Reinhold Publ. Co., 1964.
DeBach, P.Biological Control by Natural Enemies. London: Cambridge University Press, 1974.
Frisbie, R. E. and P. L. Adkisson. “IPM: Definitions and current status in U. S. agriculture.” InBiological Control in Agricultural IPM Systems, ed. M. A. Hoy and D. C. Herzog. 41–51. Orlando, FL: Academic Press, Inc., 1985.
INISV (Instituto National de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal).Aplicacion Efectiva para el Combate del Picudo Negro del Platano. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal, Ministerio de la Agricultura, Habana, Cuba: 1990a.
INISV (Instituto National de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal).Manejo de Malezas en la Agricultura. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal, Ministerio de la Agricultura, Habana, Cuba: 1990b.
INISV (Instituto National de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal).Trichogramma spp.: Control Biologico de Plagas en Diferentes Cultivos Agricolas. Ministerio de la Agricultura, Instituto National de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal, Centro de Informacion y Documentacion Agropecuario, Habana, Cuba: 1990c.
INISV (Instituto National de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal).Tu Amiga la Hormiga Leon. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal, Ministerio de la Agricultura, Habana, Cuba: 1990d.
INISV (Instituto National de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal).El Picudo Negro del Platano. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal, Ministerio de la Agricultura, Habana, Cuba: 1991a.
INISV (Instituto National de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal).La Mosca Blanca (Bemisia tabaci) en el Cultivo del Tomate. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal, Ministerio de la Agricultura, Habana, Cuba: 1991b.
INISV (Instituto National de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal).Metarhizium anisopliae: Bioinsectacida de Gran Espectro de Accion. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal, Ministerio de la Agricultura, Habana, Cuba: 1991c.
INISV (Instituto National de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal).Verticillium lecanni: Insecticida Biologico para Combatir Homopteros (Mosca Blanca, Afidos) y Otras Plagas. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal, Ministerio de la Agricultura, Habana, Cuba: 1991d.
Pérez, L., E. Fernández, and E. Pérez. “Control integrado de plagas y malezas bajo las condiciones de agricultura orgánica o sostenida.” InPrimer Encuentro Nacional de Agricultura Organica, Havana, Cuba, Instituto Superior de Ciencias Agropecuarias de la Habana, 1993.
Rego, G. D., C. Borges, and A. Borges. “Eficacia técnico-económica deLixophaga diatraeae basada en el índice poblacional deDiatraea saccharilis.”Revista de Proteccion Vegetal, 1 (1986): 255–260.
Rosset, P. and M. Benjamin (eds.).Two Steps Backward, One Step Forward: Cuba's Nationwide Experiment with Organic Agriculture. Global Exchange, 1993.
Scaramuzza, L. C. “Preliminary report on a study of the biology ofLixophaga diatraeae Tns.”Journal of Economic Entomology, 23 (6, 1930): 999–1104.
Scaramuzza, L. C. and J. W. Ingram. “Results attained in the biological control ofDiatraea saccharalis (F.) in Florida.”Journal of Economic Entomology, 35 (5, 1942): 642–645.
Stern, V. M., R. F. Smith, R. van den Bosch, and K. S. Hagen. “The integrated control concept.”Hilgardia, 29 (2, 1959): 81–101.
Vandermeer, J., J. Carney, P. Gersper, I. Perfecto, and P. Rosset. “Cuba And The Dilemma Of Modern Agriculture.”Agriculture and Human Values 10 (3, 1993): 3–8.
Additional information
Jeff Dlott is presently a lecturer and research specialist in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management at the University of California, Berkeley. His research interests are in participatory research on biological control of insect pests with farmer organizations in California, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
Ivette Perfecto is an Assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan. Her research interests include biological control of insect pests in tropical agroecosystems in Central America.
Peter Rosset is the Executive Director of the Institute for Food and Development Policy in San Francisco, California. He has conducted extensive research in integrated pest management in Central America through his previous work with Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza.
Larry Burkam works as a research associate with the Bio-Integral Resource Center (BIRC) of Berkeley, at their field station located in Winters, California. BIRC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to research and education in least-toxic pest management. Areas of interest included sustainable agriculture in developing countries as well as habitat modification/restoration adjacent to agricultural lands.
Julio Monterrey is an entomologist with Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza in Managua, Nicaragua. He has been involved with integrated pest management research and extension projects in Central America for over a decade
John Vandermeer in a Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Michigan. His research interests include biological control of insect pests, intercropping, agricultural ecology, and theoretical ecology. He has worked in Central America for many years.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dlott, J., Perfecto, I., Rosset, P. et al. Management of insect pests and weeds. Agric Hum Values 10, 9–15 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02217834
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02217834