Abstract

The agriculture of Latin America today faces a great productive paradigm: to satisfy the high demand for food, but through an agriculture with environmental and social responsibility, with low use of synthetic pesticides. In this new scenario, conservative biological control acquires great relevance since it allows to reduce, in the long term, populations of arthropod pests associated with agricultural crops, but respecting the demands of consumers. To favor conservative biological control, farmers must make modifications of agroecosystems so that natural enemies remain in the fields and increase their populations. In addition, to know that, as an adult, natural enemies require food sources other than prey. The management of agricultural habitat through the conservation of spontaneous vegetation or the incorporation of so-called insectary plants, plants with flowers that attract and maintain their nectar and pollen resources, is fundamental. In this functional flora, natural enemies not only find sources of proteins and carbohydrates, but also offer shelter from adverse weather conditions and/or predators. They also find alternative prey, especially when they are scarce in the fields. In this chapter, we provide information on the importance of plants as sources of food for adults of natural enemies, with a view to promoting sustainable agriculture.