by Emmanuel O. Benjamin, Giselher Grabenweger, Hermann Strasser & Justus Wesseler in Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection: Biological control methods offer an economic alternative in certified maize and potato production and can help to increase competitiveness in agriculture.The sustainability of the use of biological control methods could be calculated using the "MISTICs Model (Maximum Incremental Social Tolerable Irreversible Costs).

The model made it possible to change the surplus of producers and consumers for France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and Romania at different collection limits and speeds. The results of the MISTICs calculations show a total annual welfare gain of € 190 million for the organic control of corn rootworm in corn production. Moderate profits could also be calculated for organic potato cultivation. The verified economic data could be used on the basis of the multi-year field studies, which were carried out within the framework of the INBIOSOIL project (Project No. 282767).

Read the full publication: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41348-018-0156-6

INBIOSOIL Project: https://www.uibk.ac.at/bipesco/projects/inbiosoil.html