Integrated pest management (IPM) is defined as a holistic ‘approach’, or ‘strategy’, of combatting plant pests with minimal applications of chemical pesticides. Rather than relying on a single control method, it involves integrating a diverse range of pest control techniques into the agroecosystem, which requires in depth understanding of the interactions between these techniques. This paper reviews recent advances in IPM both at home and abroad. Four fundamental principles of pest control, four control strategies and three technological innovations, have been developed since the 1950’s. A five step prioritization scheme for pest management with five levels associated with 11 scientific problems in the integration process have been advanced for managing pests more effectively. We emphasize that pest management should comply with the crop protection principle of "prevention first, making ecology a priority and using integrated management", and the use of “ecologically friendly, effective, economic and simple” methods. Thus, we propose that IPM should integrate and optimize all available control elements such as ecological tactics, modern biotechnology, as well as biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools, into the agroecosystem to achieve economic profitability, ecological sustainability and social acceptability.

To reduce the risk from pesticides to humans and the environment, many growers have switched from conventional pest control methods to the ecological regulation and management of pests (ERMP). An "advanced" kind of integrated pest management (IPM), ERMP places strong emphasis on the crop protection principle of " prevention first, making ecology a priority, using integrated management and precise implementation". The Implementation of ERMP depends on integrating all available management methods, including ecological tactics, agricultural control, biological control, physical control, modern biotechnology and reasonable chemical control, to keep pests below the eco-economic threshold level. Furthermore, ERMP is also a kind of pest management technology, which makes use of habitat manipulation, functional plant, push-pull, ecological suicide, crop ratio and crop health. This paper presents the conceptual framework, four fundamental principles, six unique tactics and four guidelines, of the ERMP strategy, and describes the relationship between strategy and technology in ERMP. It is important to note that ERMP and IPM are not mutually exclusive; ERMP is a subset of IPM. The development of more reliable ERMP practices should allow growers to achieve the more economic, ecological and social benefits.

Sustainable pest management is one of the most important issues in agricultural ecology and is essential to food security. Consequently, the development of environmentally friendly, sustainable, and effective, strategies to manage pest populations has been a focus of research over the past decade. Research in this field has, however, been hindered by the absence of a theoretical framework for ecologically based pest management. In this paper, we discuss the ecological threshold and efficiency of ecologically based pest management, and construct a series of ecological indices for the ecological threshold. We also summarize several relevant theoretical issues, including the population model, food web structure, spatial scale and ecological energy. Finally, we discuss the future of pest control with the goal of promoting the theoretical development of ecologically based pest management.

Agrobiodiversity is an important aspect of controlling the diseases and pests of agricultural crops. Agrobiodiversity is based on the ecological relationships between organisms and makes full use of various control factors in the original ecosystem. It can, therefore, significantly reduce fertilizer and pesticide use and enhance agricultural ecosystems. This paper integrates the control of agricultural diseases and pests and examines agrobiodiversity at three levels; genetic diversity, species diversity and landscape diversity. The methods, mechanisms and important factors for using agrobiodiversity to control crop diseases and pests, and the effect of plant diversity on crop yields, are systematically reviewed and described.

Many types of plants, including nectar-producing plants and those that provide habitat for predatory insects, are utilized in agricultural landscapes to enhance the biocontrol function of natural enemies of insect pests. The definition of such functional plants is, however, unclear as is their potential application in pest control. Furthermore, a review of the relevant literature indicates that other ecosystem functions provided by plants, such as water and soil conservation and pollination, are typically not considered when selecting plants for planting. This paper defines functional plants on the basis of the ecosystem services and functions they provide and summarizes the principles underlying the use of such plants in agricultural ecosystems. Directions for future research are suggested to promote the use of functional plants in ecological pest management.

Functional plants have various ecological service functions in the agricultural landscape, such as providing pollen, habitat for predators and repelling pest insects. Planting functional plants has recently became a more common method of pest control and has already been scientifically proven. Since most published studies have focused on specific functional plants there is relative a lack of information on how to choose and allocate functional plants in orchards. This paper addresses this lack of information by integrating the results of a 3 year investigation on the use of functional plants in orchards in Jiaodong half island with those from published studies. Principles for the selection and deployment of functional plants, which have already been used to control apple orchard pests in Yantai, are provided and future prospects for using functional plants for pest control are discussed.

China has the largest wheat growing area in the world. Global climate change and changing agricultural methods have exacerbated pest damage to wheat crops in China. Chemical pesticides are still the main method of controlling wheat pests but over-dependence on pesticides leads to a series of problems, such as environmental pollution and pest resistance. Chinese scientists have developed ecological pest regulation technology and established a wheat pest regulation system based on landscape design. This paper summarizes advances in the use of integrated pest control to protect wheat crops in China, and discusses future prospects for research on the control of wheat pests in light of overseas trends.

[Objectives] To determine the future potential and current application of predatory insects as biological control agents in Chinese farmland. [Methods] Chinese literature on the potential, and current, use of predatory insects in farmland for biological control collected by the CNKI database was identified and analyzed using the bibliometrics method. [Results] 544 predatory insect-related papers and 1 747 relevant key words were identified. The identified contents were mainly on the arthropod community and the dominant predatory species in farmland, key predators in farmland; predation, food webs, evaluating the value of the ecological services provided by predators, artificial breeding, artificial feeding, the release and application of predators, key pests of major crops and integrated pest management. Most papers were on the rice and cotton ecosystem and its associated pests and their natural enemies. Harmonia axyridis, Coccinella septempunctata, Propylea japonica, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis, Paederus fuscipe, Micraspis discolor and Microvelia horvathi are the dominant predatory insects in Chinese farmland. [Conclusion] There is great potential for utilizing predatory insects for biological control in the main farmland ecosystems in China. More research on the occurrence of important pest populations is required, as is research on the conditions preferred by these species and their biocontrol efficiency.

[Objectives] Understanding the ecological effects of regional landscape composition on the natural predators of maize pests during the maize seedling stage could provide a theoretical basis for the ecological control of pests in maize field. [Methods] Research was conducted at 92 sample points in corn fields in Shandong province. Based on population dynamics, remote sensing imaging and land cover classification data, we used a mixed effects model to analyze the effects of cropland, residential industrial traffic, grassland, forest and water, on predator populations during the maize seedling. [Results] A total number of 3 744 predatory species were identified, of which the most abundant were Erigonidium graminicolum (55.29%), Propylaea japonica (25.32%), Orius similis (6.73%), Theridion octomaculatum (4.01%), Harmonia axyridis (3.58%) and Misumenops tricuspidatus (3.47%). Forest and water habitat had a significant positive effect on the abundance of Propylaea japonica, and grassland and water habitat had a significant positive effect on the abundance of Misumenops tricuspidatus. Water and forest habitat had a significant positive effect on the overall number of predatory species. [Conclusion] Non-crop habitat plays a crucial role in maintaining populations of the natural predators of maize pests during the maize seedling stage in the north China farmland landscape.

[Objectives] To develop a sustainable method for controlling the diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, which inflicts serious damage on cruciferous vegetable crops, by investigating the effects of landscape diversity on DBM and predatory spider populations. [Methods] Sampling sites were chosen based on an increasing diversity gradient in Fujian Province and the landscape composition was analyzed at radii of 25, 50, 100 m. The effect of landscape diversity on DBM abundance, fecundity and crop damage, and on spider abundance, was analyzed. [Results] DBM abundance decreased significantly as the percentage of natural habitat increased. Its fecundity was highest in landscapes with moderate diversity but there was no significant landscape effect on crop damage. Spider abundance had the opposite trend. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicates negative correlations between the percentage of grassland, forest and water and DBM abundance. [Conclusion] Improving landscape diversity, specifically maintaining more grassland, is an effective way of controlling DBM at spatial scales less than 100 m.

[Objectives] To determine the effects of varying the proportion of cotton habitat area and their fragmentation on Bemisia tabaci populations and thereby investigate the effectiveness of controlling insect pests by changing crop planting patterns. [Methods] The experimental model landscape system (EMLS) was adopted to assess the effects of varying the proportion of cotton habitat area (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%), and of two levels of fragmentation (C clumped: H = 1.0; F fragmented: H = 0.0), on B. tabaci populations in a 2-year field trial. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to analyze the effects of various factors on B. tabaci populations. [Results] The proportion of cotton habitat area and the level of fragmentation had no significant effects on B. tabaci populations, whereas survey time had a significant effect. B. tabaci abundance was also not significantly affected by the interactions between survey time and cotton habitat area, survey time and fragmentation, and among these three variables. However, the significance of the interaction between cotton habitat area and fragmentation depended on the year, with no significant effects in 2014 and significant effects in 2015. When the area planted in cotton was 20% or 80%, B. tabaci abundance was lower if there was a high degree of fragmentation. However, when the area planted in cotton was 40% and 60%, B. tabaci abundance was lower with less fragmentation. [Conclusion] B. tabaci can adapt to different proportions of cotton habitat area and the effects of fragmentation were subtle.

[Objectives] The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of three rice farming methods; conventional rice paddies, and those with either shrimp farms or co-planted with Vetiveria zizanioides), on the population dynamics of rice pests and their natural enemies, in order to help prevent and control pest outbreaks and conserve natural enemy populations in paddy fields. [Methods] Visual inspection, net sweeping, pot-patching and stripping, were used to collect and count rice pests (rice planthoppers, rice leafhoppers and rice borers) and their natural enemies (rice spiders, grass midges, Crytorrhinus lividipennis and Paederus fuscipes), during the rice heading stage. [Results] Significantly fewer rice planthoppers were observed in paddy fields co-planted with V. zizanioides than conventional rice paddies, or rice paddies with shrimp farms (P<0.05). Significantly higher numbers of rice leafhoppers and rice borers were found in conventional rice paddies relative to those with V. zizanioides or shrimp farms (P<0.05). The natural enemies of rice pests were spiders, grass midges, C. lividipennis and P. fuscipes. Significantly higher numbers of P. pseudoannulata, Pirata subpiraticus and C. lividipennis were found in paddies co-planted with V. zizanioides, or with shrimp farms, than conventional paddies (P<0.05). [Conclusion] Significantly fewer rice leafhoppers and rice borers were observed in paddies co-planted with V. zizanioides and with shrimp farms than conventional paddies.

[Objectives] Insect diversity is an important component of biodiversity and plays a necessary role in bio-control and pollination. [Methods] During 2018-2019, we investigated the abundance of the main pest insects and their natural enemies in apple orchards with three different pest control methods; biological control (BC), functional plants (FP) to provide habitat for natural predators and chemical control (CC). [Results] We found that the abundance of the main pest insects, such as Aphis citricola, Panonychus ulmi and Lithocolletis ringoniella, in BC and FP apple orchards was much higher than in CC orchards. However, the abundance of natural predators of these pests, such as Harmonia axyridis, Chrysoperla sinicaand members of the Syrphidae, was also higher in FP and BC orchards than in CC orchards. [Conclusion] FP and BC can reduce the population density of pest insects in apple orchards. Although CC can keep pest insects at low numbers, it also suppresses their natural predators and CC orchards had greater fluctuations in pest abundance than BC and FP orchards.

[Objectives] Crop diversity can be used to control the occurrence of insect pests, thereby increasing yields and reduce pesticide use. [Methods] Soybean varieties with high resistance (cv. Lamar; R), medium resistance (cv. ZD35; M) and high sensitivity (cv. JLNMH; S), to Spodoptera litura were planted together, and in isolation, to investigate the effects of crop diversity on soybean yield; i.e. we compared the yield from R, M and S monocultures to mixed RM, RS, MS and RMS crops. The population dynamics of key pests (S. litura and Megacopta cribraria) and insect community diversity in these different crops were also assessed to determine the optimal cultivar diversity with respect to effective ecological control of insect pests and soybean production. [Results] There was no significant difference in the number of individual pests per 100 plants between RM, RMS, and R crops, and there was also no significant difference in individual pests per 100 plants between RM and R crops, all of which had significantly lower pest numbers than other crop types. Insect community diversity (H) and evenness (E) of insects in mixed crops were all significantly higher than those in monocultures, but there were no significant differences in these indices between RM, RMS and R crops. Moreover, the community richness (D) of insects in RM and RMS crops were all significantly higher than those of other crops, whereas the reverse was true for community dominance (C). Furthermore, the grain weight per 100 plants for RM and RMS crops was significantly higher (42.86%-192.27%) than for other crops, except for the R monoculture. The RM crop also had the highest 1000-grain weight of all crop types from 4.46% to 29.31%. [Conclusion] We conclude that the abundance of key insect pests were significantly lower in RM and RMS crops, whereas insect community diversity, evenness and dominance and soybean yield, were all higher. Consequently, we recommend jointly sowing soybean cultivars with both high and moderate resistance, or with high, moderate and high sensitivity to insect pests, to enhance both the ecological control of insect pests and soybean production.

[Objectives] The wheat aphid Sitobion avenae is an important insect pest of wheat in China. Due to its wide host range, high fecundity and adaptability, this species greatly reduces China's annual wheat yield. [Methods] The growth and development of S. avenae raised on different wheat varieties were compared under laboratory conditions to inform the selection and breeding of aphid-resistant wheat varieties. [Results] The different wheat varieties had different effects on the growth and development of S. avenae. Nymphs fed on the Mianyang 4 wheat variety had the longest average developmental duration (180.86 h) whereas those fed on the Miannong 4 had the shortest (172.92 h). These two wheat varieties had significantly different effects on the duration of the 1 ^st and 2 ^nd instar nymph stages. Adults raised on the Miannong 4 wheat variety were the heaviest on average (0.70 mg) whereas those raised on the Rongmai 4 variety were the lightest (0.50 mg). There were no significant differences in the weights of adult aphids raised on the Mianyang 31, Mianmai 1403 or Chuanmai 55 wheat varieties. The average fecundity of females raised on Chuanmai 55 was 23.1, significantly higher than that of those raised on the other four wheat varieties. Adults raised on Chuanmai 55 also had the longest average lifespan (20.93 d), whereas those raised on Mianmai 1403 had the shortest (15.57 d). Both these values are significantly higher, and lower, respectively, than those of adults raised on the other three wheat varieties, which were not significantly different from each other. [Conclusion] The growth and development of larva S. avenae raised on Miannong 4 were shortened, which might accelerate the population growth rate and lead to more damage to wheat. However, the larva S. avenae fed on mianyang 31 had a longer growth and development period, meaning the population growth rate was shortened and the damage might become weakened. According to the fecundity and adult developmental period, the adult S. avenae was more suitable to Chuanmai 55.

[Objectives] To evaluate the effects of five rice varieties on the life history and population dynamics of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, in central China, and thereby inform the prevention and control of this pest. [Methods] The effects of five rice varieties (“Shen Liang you 3117”, “Jin you 957”, “Qi Liang you 908”, “Feng you 989” and “Shan you 63”) on the life history parameters of the brown planthopper were studied using two-sex life table. In addition, the population dynamics of N. lugens feeding on each of the five rice varieties was simulated with two-sex life table software. [Results] Different rice cultivars had different effects on 4 ^th-5 ^th instar nymphs of the brown planthopper. Nymphs fed on “Qi Liang you 908” took significantly longer to develop than those fed the other four rice varieties (P<0.05). Planthoppers fed on “Shan you 63” and “Jin you 957” had significantly lower fecundity than those fed on the other three rice varieties (P<0.05), and those fed on “Qi Liang you 908” had a significantly lower survival rate than those fed on the other rice varieties (P<0.05). The five rice varieties can be ranked in terms of the net reproductive rate (R₀) of the brown rice planthoppers fed on them as follows; “Feng you 989” > “Shen Liang you 3117” > “Shan you 63” > “Jin you 957”> “Qi Liang you 908”. [Conclusion] Brown planthoppers fed on “Qi Liang you 908” had a significantly lower survival rate than those fed on the other four rice varieties, and those fed on “Feng you 989” and “Shen Liang you 3117” had a significantly higher net population growth rate than those fed on the other four rice varieties.

[Objectives] To investigate the effects of organic manure on rice paddy arthropod communities, including predators and rice pests, and determine whether this increases the abundance of important rice pests. [Methods] Single- season rice was planted for two consecutive years (2017-2018) in two kinds of rice paddy; one which used organic manure (RPOM) and another which used chemical fertilizer (RPCF). Soil fertility and the abundance of aquatic insects, spiders, predatory insects, functional rice pest groups, and the compensatory prey of predators in both field types were investigated,and predator-to-pest ratios for species richness and individual species abundance calculated. [Results] Alkali-hydrolyzable N, available P, total P and total K were significantly higher in the soil of the RPOM than in the RPCF (P<0.05). Total N and organic matter in the soil of the RPOM was also much higher than in RPCF (P<0.01). The number of aquatic insects in the RPCF was significantly lower than in the RPOM. There was no significant difference in the total number of Chironomus and Collembola between the RPOM and RPCF. In 2017, 887 rice insect pests belonging to 17 species were collected in the RPOM compared to 917 rice insect pests belonging to 18 species in the RPCF; a similarity coefficient of community of 0.86. In 2018,1 226 rice pests belonging to 13 species, and 2 035 rice pests belonging to 15 species, were collected in the RPOM and RPCF, respectively. The similarity coefficient of community was 0.71 between the two paddy types. The number of individual rice insect pests was significantly higher in the RPCF than in the RPOM. In 2017, 1 316 predatory predators belonging to 41 species were collected in the RPOM compared to 989 belonging to 31 species were collected in the RPCF; a similarity coefficient of community of 0.83 and a Bray-Curtis distance of community of 0.151. In 2018, 1 537 predators belonging to 41 species were collected in the RPOM compared to 1 031 belonging to 36 species in the RPCF, with a similarity coefficient of community of 0.78 and a Bray-Curtis distance of community of 0.31. The diversity of predatory species in the RPOM was significantly higher than that in the RPCF in 2 consecutive years, a difference that was highly significant in 2018 (P<0.01). Furthermore, the number of individual insects in the RPOM was significantly higher than in the RPCF (P<0.05). The ratio of predatory species to insect pests in the RPOM and RPCF were 1.86 and 1.09 in 2017, and 1.64 and 0.64 in 2018, respectively, and was significantly higher in the RPOM than in the RPCF in 2018 (P<0.05). [Conclusion] Organic manure markedly improves the soil fertility of paddy fields, has no significant effect on the abundance of compensatory prey, and reduces the number of insect pests, which suggests a bottom-up effect. However, the species richness, abundance of predatory species, and the ratio of predatory species to insect pests, were significantly higher in fields with organic manure, suggesting a top-down effect. These results demonstrate that the addition of organic manure enhances the ecological control effect of the natural enemies of insect pests.

[Objectives] The effect of guava fruit odor on the behavior of the guava fruit fly, Bactrocera correcta was measured in order to provide theoretical basis for the chemical ecological control of this species. [Methods] The behavioral responses and flight speeds of sexually immature, mature virgin, and mated, male and female fruit flies to guava fruit odor were investigated in a wind tunnel. [Results] Guava fruit odor attracted fruit flies in in all three stages of reproductive development. The majority of fruit flies that landed on the odor source were mated females, followed by mature virgin males. Sexually immature males were the least attracted to the odor source. Compared to the control (no odor), fruit flies in all three stages of reproductive development increased their flight speeds when exposed to guava odor. Mature females flies flew faster than mature males. [Conclusion] The attractiveness of guava odor to B. correcta varies with the reproductive status of these fruit flies. Mated females are most strongly attracted by guava odor, followed by mature virgin males, whereas immature males are less attracted.

[Objectives] To provide information to inform the choice of pheromones and volatile compounds for the environmentally-friendly control of crop damage by this species, the effects of tobacco volatiles and an alarm pheromone on the behavior of Myzus persicae were measured. [Methods] Electrophysiological responses of winged and wingless M. persicae to 1, 10 and 100 ng concentrations of the aphid alarm pheromone ((E)-β-farnesene) and four volatile tobacco plant compounds (6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, butyl acetate, (E)-β-ocimene and nonanal) were recorded by EAG and the behavioral responses of individual aphids to these compounds were recorded in a Y-tube olfactometer. [Results] Aphid alarm pheromone and the four tobacco volatile compounds tested all elicited EAG responses in both winged and wingless aphids. Winged aphids were more sensitive to the alarm pheromone than wingless ones, whereas wingless aphids were more sensitive to butyl acetate and (E)-β-ocimene. Both 10 ng and 100 ng concentrations of the alarm pheromone repelled both winged and wingless aphids, but the 1ng concentration only repelled wingless aphids. One hundred nanogram concentrations of 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, butyl acetate and (E)-β-ocimene were significantly attractive to both winged and wingless aphids. A concentration of 10 ng butyl acetate attracted both winged and wingless aphids, but the same concentration of 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one only attracted wingless ones. [Conclusion] The alarm pheromone has a stronger repellent effect on wingless aphids than winged aphids, and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, butyl acetate and (E)-β-ocimene are attractive to both winged and wingless aphids.

[Objectives] To compare the performance of two types of pheromone dispensers for releasing two aggregation pheromones of Frankliniella occidentalis [neryl (S)-2-methylbutanoate and (R)-lavandulyl acetate] and thereby inform the choice of pheromones and pheromone dispensers for controlling these pests. [Methods] The release profiles of the 2 active compounds from pheromone dispensers with a rubber septum or hollow PVC fibers were compared in a laboratory over a 7-day period using with solid phase microextraction (SPME) and a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). In addition, the effect of time on the release ratios of N(S)2MB to (R)-LA was investigated to determine the optimal blend of these two compounds in both types of dispenser. The trapping efficacy of both types of dispenser baited with an optimal blend of aggregation pheromone compounds was then compared in field trials. [Results] The laboratory experiments show that the amount of neryl (S)-2-methylbutanoate and (R)-lavandulyl acetate released from the two different types of dispenser were markedly different. Over the 7-day experimental period dispensers with a rubber septa released more neryl (S)-2- methylbutanoate, and less (R)-lavandulyl acetate, than those with hollow PVC fibers. In addition, dispensers with rubber septa loaded with a ratio of 8︰1 neryl (S)-2-methylbutanoate to (R)-lavandulyl acetate released these pheremones at a ratio ranged from 5.84 to 19.24, which is within the natural range of F. occidentalis. Dispensers with PVC hollow fibers had a relatively stable release ratio of about 4. Furthermore, field trials indicate that dispensers with rubber septa performed better than those with hollow PVC fibers with respect to trapping F. occidentalis adults. [Conclusion] These results suggest that dispensers with rubber septa are superior to those with hollow PVC fibres for dispensing the aggregation pheromones of F. occidentalis. However, hollow PVC fibers can also perform well if the ratio of pheromones is optimized when the dispenser is loaded.

[Objectives] To determine if herbivore-induced plant volatiles can enhance the biocontrol of the cereal aphid (Sitobion avenae) in wheat fields by attracting their natural enemy, the multicolored Asian ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis). [Methods] The olfactory responses of adult Asian ladybeetles to undamaged wheat seedlings, wheat seedlings that had been fed on by cereal aphids and to synthetic (cis)-3-hexenyl acetate, were measured and compared. In addition, the effect of applying (cis)-3-hexenyl acetate to wheat fields on both ladybeetle and cereal aphid populations was investigated. [Results] The emission rate and relative content of (cis)-3-hexenyl acetate emitted by wheat seedlings increased after these had been fed on by cereal aphids. Both wheat seedlings that had been fed on by cereal aphids and (cis)-3-hexenyl acetate were strongly attractive to adult ladybeetles. Applying (cis)-3-hexenyl acetate to wheat fields attracted ladybeetles and decreased wheat aphid abundance. [Conclusion] The herbivore-induced plant volatile, (cis)-3-hexenyl acetate, has the potential to attract the multicolored Asian ladybeetle, thereby enhancing the biocontrol of cereal aphids in wheat fields.

[Objectives] To compare the numbers of natural enemies of corn pests attracted by trans-β-farnese, nerolidol, 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-one, cis-3-hexene acetate, eugenol, linalool and cis-jasmonanone in corn fields, and thereby inform the biological control of insect pests in corn fields. [Methods] Water basin traps, sticky plates and the five point sampling method were used to quantify the abundance of predators and parasites of corn pests on 100 corn plants, and thereby compare the attractiveness of the seven plant volatiles to these species. [Results] There were significant differences in the attractiveness of nerolidol to Anterhynchium (D.) flavomarginatum, of cis-jasmonanone to Episyrphus balteatus, and of trans-β-farnene and cis-jasmonanone to Propylaea japonica, compared to the other five compounds and the control. In a plot experiment, nerolidol and cis-jasmonanone were more attractive to E. balteatus and Harmonia axyridis, and nerolidol more to E. balteatus and Astochia virgatipes, than the control. [Conclusion] Of the seven plant volatiles tested, nerolidol was the most attractive to the natural enemies of corn pests, followed by cis-jasmonanone and trans-β-farnese.

[Objectives] Evaluating both the ecological and economic benefits of integrated pest control (IPM) is essential to comparing its performance to other forms of pest control. However, the economic benefits of IPM are always given greater weight than its ecological benefits. [Methods] Based on the market value method, we propose a new method that can quantitatively evaluate the ecological and economic benefits of both integrated and purely chemical pest control, and use this method to compare the relative benefits of IPM and chemical control in the 30 years from 1987 to 2016. [Results] The economic and ecological benefits of IPM are mainly related to control benefits, input costs and negative benefits to ecology. The economic and ecological benefits of grain pest control were -25.07 billion yuan to 18.09 billion yuan from 1987 to 2016, with average economic and ecological benefits of -0.381 billion yuan. [Conclusion] The ecological and economic benefit of IPM for the prevention and control of grain pests in China has been relatively low, and the negative ecological benefits have not been fully taken into account. We propose a quantitative method for evaluating the economic and ecological benefits of IPM which provides a scientific basis for the objective and accurate evaluation of this form of pest control.

.Economic threshold (ET) was the key index for guiding agricultural pest management, which was based on the value of the saved crops and control cost in the pest management. Because the ecological cost of pesticide use often was less considered in the practical application, ET was lower and more pesticides were used. We proposed the concept of ecological and economic threshold (EET) with the aid of the new development in the assessment of ecological impacts of pesticide use, in which both the control cost and ecological cost of pesticide use were fully considered. The simple mathematic model and estimation method based on the index of pesticide ecological risk use were presented. EET will be conducive to promote the pest management level and achieve purpose of pesticide reduction.

[Objectives] Protecting and enhancing natural predator communities is an effective strategy for pest suppression in farmland and understanding the trophic structures of predators and food webs in agroecosystems has become a key issue in biological control. [Methods] The peanut aphid COⅠ gene was used as a marker of peanut aphid predation by by the coccinellid Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and PCR-based gut content analysis was used to measure predation by P. japonica on the peanut aphid. [Results] Incorporating molecular tools and field studies provided direct evidence of peanut aphid predation by P. japonica and allowed the consumption of this pest by P. japonica to be evaluated under realistic field conditions. [Conclusion] Molecular gut content analysis can help evaluate the trophic structure of natural predator food webs and thereby inform, and improve, pest control.

Sonchus arvensis L. is a medicinal and edible plant that is widely distributed in China. It has a long flowering period, is highly adaptable, resistant to drought and salinity and is easily planted and managed. In September 2018 we discovered that S. arvensis is a high-quality honey and pollen source in north China due to its long flowering period and the large number of pollinators it attracts. It has no common pests and has the basic characteristics of a functional plant. The flowering period of S. arvensis is from July to October, the same as the corn growing period, which suggests that S. arvensis could help maintain populations of natural predators by providing these with a continuous nutritional supplement during the corn growing season. Therefore, planting S. arvensis in conjuction with crops could be a new way of controlling pests that could reduce the use of chemical pesticides, enrich the diversity of natural predators, increase farmers' income, and improve the environment, all of which have important economic, ecological, and social benefits.