Insect DNA barcoding for identification and knowledge.

Costa Rica

In DOLE’s pineapple crops with organic and conventional agricultural management, as well as in the surrounding forest areas, the biomonitoring and identification of hundreds of insect species will be carried out through DNA barcoding. This initiative is being developed in partnership with Project BioAlfa (Bioalphabetisation for all), declared of national interest in 2019.

This pilot project will:

• Use innovative cutting-edge technology in agriculture.
• Identify insect species and populations to assess the richness of existing ecosystems and how agriculture interacts with them.
• Provide a baseline to identify in the future, which organisms potentially play a beneficial, dangerous or neutral role for the crop.
• Evaluate the costs and benefits of this technology in agriculture and contribute to the country’s knowledge of its wild biodiversity and possible mutualisms with it.
• Contribute information to the Costa Rican DNA barcode library.