Nature itself helps to control crop pests and pathogens by providing an enormous diversity of naturally occurring antagonists. An important focus of our research is to investigate how this free service of nature can be used, strengthened and saved for an efficient and sustainable agriculture. 

Due to their way of living, predators, parasites or pathogens fulfill certain functions in our agro-ecosystems by limiting the population growth of harmful organisms of crop plants. The type of land use, farming systems and material inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides may have a strong impact on the animal and plant communities as well as on the microcosm in- and outside of the agricultural and forestry cultivation. Thus, e.g. species richness and abundance of antagonists can change and interfere with the natural control mechanisms. We explore the needs of these organisms in order to provide agricultural practitioners with recommendations for their protection and strengthening. Biodiversity of natural antagonists also provides almost unlimited possibilities for innovative methods in biological control. You just need to know them and to know how to maintain and to use them.