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Rethinking crop protection by mobilizing natural pest regulation and agroecological practices in sugarcane agrosystems

Goebel F.R.. 2024. Pune : VSI, 1 p.. International Conference and Exhibition : Sustainability, Challenges and Opportunities in Global Sugar Industry. 3, 2024-01-12/2024-01-14, Pune (Inde).

In the context of climate change and global biodiversity loss, agroecological management of sugarcane pests is set to play a key role in pest control solutions as more countries want to reduce their pesticide use. Therefore, there is real need for more sustainable and ecological solutions for crop protection. However, this strategy appears to be more complicated to implement in the field, as Agroecology is based on fine knowledge of ecological processes (e.g. pest-crop-natural enemy interactions), and of how agricultural and environmental factors influence population dynamics. This is why some growers and sugar industry stakeholders remain skeptical as they have to change their usual practices to a new pest control model for which results cannot be seen over a short period of time. Research activities towards agroecological practices and use of pest regulation services presented here are being conducted in different projects worldwide and CIRAD as an international research centre on agronomy is particularly active on such thematic areas in Reunion Island and Tanzania. These new initiatives in sugarcane protection aim at reducing the use of pesticides, particularly insecticides that are still in use to control some pests such as aphids, stemborers and whitegrubs. Climate change has also forced many sugar companies and growers to adapt their agricultural practices to mitigate the impact of global warming on productivity, hence the reduction of cane burning practice for the benefits of green cane harvesting and the preservation of natural enemies of pests. In this particular context, a new pest control paradigm integrating more ecological methods suitable is taking place to guarantee a sustainable production, socially acceptable, economically viable in a non-polluted environment.

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