A Study and Application of Biological Control Technique Using the Parasitic Natural Enemy Aphidius gifuensis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) to Control Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphidiidae) in China

Ecologically safe and environmentally friendly pest control strategies and technologies are strategically important to ensure the quality of Chinese agricultural products and sustainable agricultural development. Aphids are the world’s major agricultural and forest pests and are one of the main pests in agricultural production in China, causing serious harm to crop yield and quality. Aphidius gifuensis is a parasitic wasp of aphids and is considered to be the most important natural enemy of aphids in our crops. Yunnan Tobacco Company has broken the bottleneck of large-scale breeding technology, constructed the key technology system of controlling aphids by Aphdius gifuensis, and realized large-scale application of Aphidius gifuensis in tobacco and other crops in China. This technology has been applied on over three million hectares from 2010 to 2015, which is the single largest application area using biological control technology in China in recent years. This technology has effectively controlled the aphid and has solved many problems including pesticide resistance in the aphid, excessive pesticide residues, and environmental pollution by improper use of pesticides. The technology has created obvious benefits to the society, economy and environment.