Coordinated application of phytoseiids and other biological control agents on management of different pest insect species: a case of ecostacking

Ecostacking, maximising the benefts of ecosystem services, implies to combine in an additive or synergistic manner the beneficial services of functional biodiversity from all levels and types (Hokkanen and Menzler-Hokkanen, 2018). Historically, studies of biological control focused on interactions between different prey species and shared predators, or that among target prey and different predators (El-laithy et al., 2021; Hao et al., 2021). Amblyseuis swirskii was a predominant predator against small sap-sucking pests including whiteflies and thrips (Rahimi et al., 2022). In this study, we conducted a coordinated management strategies utilizing the phytoseiid mite A. swirskki, the predatory bug Eocanthecona furcellata and the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana, to control the major pest insects of tobacco planting areas in Southwestern China, including Bemisia tabaci, Thrips tabaci, Spodoptera litura and Helicoverpa assulta.