Description
Currently, crop productivity is substantially reduced by various biotic factors that reduce the quantity and quality of agricultural products, causing severe economic losses worldwide. In addition, the high dependence of modern agricultural systems on the use of chemical pesticides and nitrogen fertilizers is a hazard for the sustainability of these systems.
All these facts support the need to generate and apply basic knowledge on the interactions between beneficial and pest organisms and crop plants. The study of the ecology of pests (weeds, arthropods and pathogens) and the development of new biopesticides based on natural products should lead us to optimized integrated pest management systems focused in minimizing the damage caused by these organisms. On the other side, the study of soil microorganisms (mycorriza, N-fixing bacteria and other ryzobacteria) should lead us to a lower use of N fertilizers and contribute to the restoration of soils degraded, polluted or affected by forest fires.
