Biodiversity in and around Greenhouses: Benefits and Potential Risks for Pest Management

Summary

The role of plant diversity near greenhouses is heavily debated because it may have both negative and positive effects on pest control inside greenhouses. In this review, we discuss these potential risks and benefits. Although there is the risk of an increased influx of some pests and of viruses transmitted by pests, we argue that biodiversity in the adjacent environment usually has limited effects on pest abundance in greenhouses in temperate climates, as most greenhouse pests in temperate climates are of exotic origin. The main benefit of increased biodiversity near greenhouses is the immigration of natural enemies that can suppress pests inside greenhouses. An open question is how this can be promoted by specific plant communities, plant characteristics, and habitats while minimising risks. Plant biodiversity inside greenhouses can also support biological control. We summarise general methods that growers can use to enhance pest control with functional biodiversity and suggest that it is particularly important to study how biodiversity inside and outside greenhouses can be linked to enhancement of biological pest control with both released and naturally occurring species of natural enemies.