Ants may be more effective at helping farmers than pesticides Produce food according to the latest international research with Spanish participation. According to the first systematic study of the contribution of ants to crop production, these insects are better at reining in pests, reducing plant damage and increasing crop yields.
Ants are generalist predators and prey on pests that damage crops. Damages fruits, seeds and leaves. The study found that greater ant diversity generally offered greater protection against a wider range of pests.
The research analyzed 17 cropsIncluding citrus fruits, mangoes, apples and soybeans in countries such as the USA, Australia, UK and Brazil. “Overall, with proper management, ants can be beneficial for pest control and increasing crop yields. Some ant species have similar or greater efficacy to pesticides at a lower cost.”, indicate researchers in the published article Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
brazil team 26 species observed, mostly tree antsnesting in plants or on the ground, but often climbing plants. They found that ants perform better in diversified farming systems such as agroforestry (where trees and crops are grown on the same land) and shade crops as there are more nesting areas and food sources for them.
Lead researcher Dr Diego Anjos of the Federal University of Uberlândia, Brazil, told The Guardian: “Our work encourages farmers to use more sustainable practices. biological control and shading practices provided by ants, as a way to naturally encourage ants in agricultural systems.”
molasses problem
However, the use of ants in agriculture must be done correctly, otherwise they can also be a problem. Pests such as mealybugs, aphids and whiteflies that produce a sugary water called molasses, usually more common when there are ants nearby. This is because ants feed on sap and therefore essentially “farm” aphids like cattle.
On the other hand, researchers argue that eco-friendly management practices, such as Providing an alternative source of sugar (in the soil, near the trunk or branches) can disrupt this relationship.. This distracts the ants and can continue to reduce the number of other non-juice-producing pests such as caterpillars and insects.
The document analyzes most of the insect species considered pests worldwide, covering 30 species in 52 studies. The data come from studies that compared ants and plant groups (mechanically or chemically) with other plants and clearly showed that ants were responsible for the observed changes.
There are more ants than any other insect in the world, and they make up half of the insect biomass on the planet. There are at least 14,000 known species of ants, and many are more likely to remain unknown.. Ants have been used in agriculture for centuries by citrus growers in China, and the insects have also been used to control forest pests in Canada, cocoa pests in Ghana and crop pests in Nigeria.
According to research published in Nature, ants found on the Pacific islands of Fiji can breed and grow at least six plant species as part of a mutually beneficial relationship dating back 3 million years.
From the University of Nevada’s Pringle Laboratory, Dr. Patrick Milligan was not involved in the study, but described the findings as “both encouraging and not surprising.” They offer a clear and organized description of the benefits derived from ants, which are ubiquitous in ecological and agricultural systems.
“Stay away from pesticides”
“This is another option that is essentially available in our farming toolkit. can enable agriculture to move away from pesticides, this actually harms neighboring insect communities, but still increases crop yields.”
Professor Adam Hart of the University of Gloucestershire, who was not involved in the research, said it confirms the important role ants have as pest controllers. “Many of us talk of ants as natural pest controllers. However, as with anything, it’s often more complicated than we think once we start digging deeper.
“Research shows that it can be profitable to move ant colonies to growing areas and do things to encourage ant presence.. But we have to be careful: it’s not all ants or all farming systems, and it can come at a cost. The goal is to develop a better understanding of how ants interact with crop pests and other organisms.
“The big message for me is that if we want to farm better, we need to understand more about small-scale interactions. In other words, we need more environmentalists“, added.
Reference work: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2022.1316
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