Since then, there have been many attempts to mimic such natural systems in agriculture by releasing natural enemies of pests as biological control agents to capture the control mechanisms that presumptively led to the stability of natural systems 2. Contrary to expectations, the inclusion of negative interactions, which are arguably a necessary consequence of increased complexity, can stabilize unstable conditions and rescue biological control of simpler, ineffective pest management systems.Д¬harles Elton 1 first juxtaposed the striking stability of natural systems and the plagues of diseases and pests so common in agricultural systems in 1958.

Here we show that combining two unstable two-dimensional systems (pestвЂ“predator and pestвЂ“pathogen) produces a stable three-dimensional system (pestвЂ“predatorвЂ“pathogen) that is robust to perturbations in initial conditions. Early experience with biological control was hampered significantly by the inherent instability of many of the control agents, suggesting that pursuit of the autonomous strategy could be difficult. One generalized philosophy that has gained currency in recent years is autonomous pest control, in which complex ecological interactions are encouraged to maintain the ecosystem in a state of permanence with the pest below economic thresholds. It has long been a goal of farm policy to manage production in such a way that expensive off-farm inputs and negative environmental consequences can be simultaneously minimized.

What are natural biocontrol agents