Towards sustainable insect pest management: A conceptual review using the example of pollen beetles in rapeseed

Summary

Agricultural intensification is a major driver of global biodiversity loss, jeopardising the health of ecosystems and people. As the demand for agricultural products continues to grow, a major challenge is to increase production without harming the environment. This will require rethinking insect pest management and, in many cases, a shift in focus from individual fields to agroecosystems.
We review advances in insect pest management using the example of the pollen beetle (Brassicogethes aeneus) in oilseed rape (Brassica napus). Where possible, we also provide relevant pest and crop characteristics to facilitate knowledge transfer to other systems. We integrate control measures from different scientific disciplines into three scenarios: “reduced harm” - “no harm” - “biodiversity positive”. All scenarios are expected to ultimately facilitate successful pest management, but with varying outcomes for biodiversity.
Environmentally sustainable pollen beetle management is in our opinion possible, but only if pest population management is facilitated by collective action (e.g. joint action of farmers). This is because immediate damage prevention requires rapid mortality of adult pollen beetles during the vulnerable bud stage of oilseed rape, which is often not achieved by either chemical pesticide substitutes or natural pest control. The latter has the potential to facilitate the control of not only pollen beetles, even under future climate projections, but will require major efforts to restore or create biodiverse and functional agroecosystems. To halt biodiversity loss, it is essential to envision a pest management strategy that facilitates this and to set the political and scientific course accordingly.