ABSTRACT
Crop plants are susceptible to a wide range of herbivorous insects. Losses due to pests and diseases have been estimated at 37% of the agricultural production worldwide, with 13% due to insect pests each year (1). Present methods of crop protection rely mainly on the use of agrochemicals, and the cost associated with management practices and chemical control of insects approaches $10 billion annually. Moreover, insects have demonstrated a high capacity to develop resistance to a wide array of chemical insecticides (2). Therefore, it is necessary to develop a more environmentally friendly agriculture that will have decreased inputs in energy and chemicals and will not generate harmful outputs such as pesticide residues.
