Use of agricultural bioinputs and chemical Inputs: Implications for earwig diversity and pest control in soybean fields

• Earwigs correlated negatively with thrips and caterpillars, contributing to biological control. • Bioinput-based management enhanced earwig populations and pest suppression. • Noctuid caterpillars were more prevalent with higher toxic input use. • Euborellia annulipes dominated, representing 78% of individuals. Earwigs are omnivorous predators that feed on a wide range of arthropod pests, including caterpillars, thrips, aphids, and fruit fly larvae, and thus play a critical role in the biological control of pests of economically important crops such as soybeans. The growing adoption of bioinputs as alternatives to synthetic chemical pesticides represents a promising strategy to reduce agrochemical dependence, enhance crop productivity, and support ecosystem-based pest regulation. This study aimed to assess earwig diversity in 19 soybean fields distributed along 11 farms in the state of Goiás, Brazil, subjected to varying levels of bioinput and chemical input application, analyze the population dynamics of earwigs and of their primary prey species, noctuid caterpillars and thrips, and investigate the relationship between the use of bioinputs and chemical inputs and earwig populations. Euborellia annulipes (Lucas) was the most abundant species. A significant negative correlation between earwig abundance and noctuid caterpillar pests and thrips underscores their role as effective biological control agents. Earwig abundance was positively correlated with the use of bioinsecticides and chemical pesticides with lower environmental hazard potential, and negatively affected by highly hazardous insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. These findings confirm the role of earwigs in integrated pest management and the importance of adopting environmentally conscious agricultural practices that preserve biodiversity and support sustainable crop production.