Investment

In Australia, canola is subject to attack by at least 30 species of invertebrate pests, although the composition of this pest complex can vary between regions. According to Murray and Brennan (2013), it is estimated that the average annual loss from invertebrate pests in canola is $54 million with available management strategies. Current tactics of pest management for canola rely largely on the use of synthetic pesticides. Additionally, prophylactic use of insecticides is common practice, with approximately >90% of canola sown with an insecticide seed treatment applied, and a high proportion of the sown area sprayed with an insecticide to soil to protect emerging seedlings. This single-technology approach has resulted in negative impacts on natural enemies and the risk of pest resistance. Thus, 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 herbivores 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 (Costanza et al. 1997), 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.