KEY POINTS
- Ladybirds can be trained to eat crop-destroying pests, a researcher says.
- He says if pests are introduced early in a ladybird’s lifecycle, they can recognise them as preferred prey.
- Scientists are increasingly turning to agrichemical alternatives.
Murdoch University PhD researcher Shovon Chandra Sarkar has successfully trained ladybirds to eat pests, namely, the highly invasive tomato potato psyllid.
Ladybirds are taking on a new role as a pest-eating assassin. Credit: Kevin Sawford
How ladybirds are trained to be pest-eaters
Psyllids also feed on capsicum, chili, goji berry, tamarillo, eggplant and sweet potato crops.
Both of these types of ladybirds can be bought by farmers online and Sarkar said they can easily be trained to eat pests.
Psyllid is a plant pest that attacks potato, sweet potato, tomato, eggplant, capsicum, chilli and tamarillo, and could significantly threaten vegetable production. Credit: Pia Scanlon
Scientists are increasingly turning to methods such as these as alternatives to agrichemicals, which often have reduced effectiveness as they develop resistance over time.
“And so unfortunately that presents a real dilemma for growers and farmers because the chemicals that they were using to achieve pest control may no longer work.
Source Agencies