Syrian Experience in Modern Application Trends of Biological Control for Some Citrus Pests and their Effects on Environmental Stability

• Nadia Al-Khateeb
• Directorate of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform of Lattakia, Lattakia Insectary-Reared Natural Enemies, P.O box 2012, Lattakia, Syria.
• Email: nadia@arabscientist.org
• web site: www.arabscientist.org
• International Conference About the Sustainable Development in the Syrian Coast

Abstract

The biological control is considered as the most important modern trend in the world to control the pests. It depends on the natural enemies usage system of predators, parasitoids, and pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) to reduce the sum of the pests to the limit that causes economical harm. The random pesticides cause intoxication to human and animal health, and the default of environmental equilibrium those results from contamination.
Syrian experience in this domain is considered as one of the most important one in the Arab homeland and the world. Syrian Arab Republic has started the biological control actively in 1992 by using parasitoid Cales noacki Howard that was imported to Syria from Italy in 1992 to control Aleurothrixus floccosus Maskell that had caused epidemic in citrus trees fields in the Syrian coast, this after the fail to control the insect by chemical means and pesticides.
Parasitoid Cales noacki was reared and multiplied in Lattakia Insectary-Reared Natural Enemies and Tartous and was distributed (15,549,571) parasitoids, they covered 18,000 hectares all the citrus groves in Lattakia which include various species of citrus.
Also, there were several biological applications such as control phyllocnistis citrella Stainton which was registered in Syria in July 1994, Some of its parasitoids were imported from Australia in 1995 and were reared in the Syrian coast, in addition to rearing the famous predator Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant that was imported from Turkey and the Netherlands in 1995 to control Mealy bugs.
The Syrian experiment in rearing predator C. montrouzieri is still generating large amounts of it amounts one million predators per year.
Syrian experience in biological control led to proceed this kind of control and to activate the local Natural Enemies into actual application. So, there was competence activation to control the pests, and this enriches the Syrian costal environment and reduces contamination that as a result of using chemical materials. Pesticides 1216 tons in 1992 applied on 15 thousands hectares. The amount was reduced down to 1.3 tons in 1995 is applied on 17 thousands hectares.
Keywords: Biological control, Predators, Parasitoids, Pathogens, Syria.