Sustainable crop production is becoming increasingly important, if humans are to support a growing population and avoid a collapse of production systems. While the understanding and incorporation of tritrophic interactions in pest control offers a promising control option, the sustainable biological control of pests requires a dynamic approach that involves diversity in all of the species present, richness in natural enemies, and limited adverse activity (i.e., minimal pesticide use). This approach is especially important in conservation biological control efforts.
There are typically more than three trophic levels at play in a given production setting, so the tritrophic interaction model may represent an oversimplification. Furthermore, ecological complexity and interactions between species of the same trophic level can come into play. Research thus far has had a relatively narrow focus, which may be suitable for controlled environments such as greenhouses but which has not yet addressed multi-generational plant interactions with dynamic communities of organisms.