The production of food crops helps us meet the basic need of human nutrition. The world's population now exceeds 7 billion people and continues to grow. Alongside this growth, the human demand for food also increases rapidly. Crop production is becoming increasingly intensive and large-scale and, as a result, simplified landscape-systems form. Crop production in simplified agricultural landscapes often face or suffer from various threats, such as pest damage (caused by diseases, insect pests, weeds and rodents) or a shortage of pollinators. These pests can cause serious damage to seeds, germination, growth, breeding and maturity during crop production and food storage, however, effective pest management can help to reduce crop loss. Most crops, in particular fruit trees and vegetables, require insect pollination to ensure high yields and high quality. Research into ecosystem services and their potential impact on pest control and pollination in agricultural landscapes is of great significance to sustainable crop production. Simplified and intensive agricultural landscapes can support crop production, but often have reduced biodiversity as monoculture cropping systems have limited surrounding natural habitat. This lack of natural surrounding habitat leads to the loss of ecosystem service benefits such as natural pest control and pollination. Over the past few decades, pest control has largely relied on chemical pesticides which can control pests and reduce crop losses in the short term. However, chemical pesticides cause a number of problems in the long run, for example, pest resistance to pesticides, and residues of pesticides in soil, water, and agricultural products. Excessive, improper, and long-term use of pesticides during crop production ultimately harms human health and biodiversity, especially beneficial microbes, natural enemies and pollinators. To achieve and ensure food security, food safety and ecological security, new theories, methods, practice, and application patterns need to be developed for environmentally friendly pest control and maintenance of pollination in agricultural landscapes for sustainable food production. The aim of this Research Topic is to promote the sustainable management of crop production and ecological environment protection through the discussion of crop pest control and pollination, and the publication of original research articles and reviews of research and theory. We welcome high-quality and original contributions that present original papers on basic and applied research covering aspects of natural pest control and pollination. Coverage for this Research Topic includes the biology and ecology of pollinators (including wild and managed), organisms (including parasitoids, invertebrate and vertebrate predators of insect pest and plants, mites, plant and insect pathogens, nematodes, and weeds) used for biological control, and aspects of use including biological control agents for integrated pest management on food crops, fruits and vegetables in agricultural landscapes. Natural pest control is an environmentally beneficial and effective means of reducing or mitigating pests and pest damage through the use of natural enemies. Ecological, ethological, molecular, and biotechnological approaches to the understanding of natural pest control and pollination in agricultural landscapes are welcome. Such as, by maintaining and increasing crop genetic diversity (not including genetically engineered crops), crop diversity, species diversity (not including genetically altered insects) and landscape diversity in cropping systems.

The second edition of the CRC Handbook of Pest Management in Agriculture examines the interdependency of agricultural pest management strategies. Topics discussed include agricultural losses to pests; chemical and non-chemical control technologies; pesticide resistance; environmental impacts of pesticides; biological pest control; host-plant resistance; crop rotations and other cultural controls; assessments of the relative effectiveness, benefits, and risks of various pest control strategies; and improved pest control approaches for making agriculture more profitable and sustainable. This is a "must have" book for entomologists, plant pathologists, and weed control specialists, in addition to university and research institute libraries.

Since the second half of the 20th Century, our agricultural bee pollinators have faced mounting threats from ecological disturbance and pan-global movement of pathogens and parasites. At the same time, the area of pollinator-dependent crops is increasing globally with no end in sight. Never before has so much been asked of our finite pool of bee pollinators. This book not only explores the evolutionary and ecologic bases of these dynamics, it translates this knowledge into practical research-based guidance for using bees to pollinate crops. It emphasizes conserving wild bee populations as well as culturing honey bees, bumble bees, and managed solitary bees. To cover such a range of biology, theory, and practice from the perspectives of both the pollinator and the crop, the book is divided into two volumes. Volume 1 focuses on bees, their biology, coevolution with flowering plants, foraging ecology and management, and gives practical ways to increase bee abundance and pollinating performance on the farm. Volume 2 (this volume) focuses on crops, with chapters addressing crop-specific requirements and bee pollination management recommendations. Both volumes are essential reading for farmers, horticulturists and gardeners, researchers and professionals working in insect ecology and conservation, and students of entomology and crop protection.

The book covers interplay between pest management strategies and safety of pollinators. Detailed information is provided on pests and pollinators of temperate, subtropical and tropical fruit crops. Most of the fruit crops are highly cross pollinated and depend upon insects or benefit from insect pollination for fruit set. Insect pests on the other hand cause major economic damage on fruit crops in tropics, subtropics and temperate. Evidently, pest management in fruit crops on one hand and providing safety to the pollinators on the other is a challenging task in the context of increasing horticultural productivity without upsetting the ecological balance. This book aims to integrate and develop pest control strategies in a way to minimize their impact on beneficial insect species such as natural enemies and pollinators to enhance fruit production and quality. The book covers interplay between pest management strategies and safety of pollinators. Detailed information is provided on pests and pollinators of temperate, subtropical and tropical fruit crops. Pollinators play a crucial role in flowering plant reproduction and in the production of most fruits and vegetables. Most of the fruit crops are highly cross pollinated and depend upon insects or benefit from insect pollination for fruit set. Insect pests on the other hand cause major economic damage on fruit crops in tropics, subtropics and temperate. Evidently, pest management in fruit crops on one hand and providing safety to the pollinators on the other is a challenging task in the context of increasing horticultural productivity without upsetting the ecological balance. This book aims to integrate and develop pest control strategies in a way to minimize their impact on beneficial insect species such as natural enemies and pollinators to enhance fruit production and quality. Most of the fruit crops are highly cross pollinated and depend upon insects or benefit from insect pollination for fruit set. Insect pests on the other hand cause major economic damage on fruit crops in tropics, subtropics and temperate. Evidently, pest management in fruit crops on one hand and providing safety to the pollinators on the other is a challenging task in the context of increasing horticultural productivity without upsetting the ecological balance. This book aims to integrate and develop pest control strategies in a way to minimize their impact on beneficial insect species such as natural enemies and pollinators to enhance fruit production and quality. The book covers interplay between pest management strategies and safety of pollinators.

Pollinators-insects, birds, bats, and other animals that carry pollen from the male to the female parts of flowers for plant reproduction-are an essential part of natural and agricultural ecosystems throughout North America. For example, most fruit, vegetable, and seed crops and some crops that provide fiber, drugs, and fuel depend on animals for pollination. This report provides evidence for the decline of some pollinator species in North America, including America's most important managed pollinator, the honey bee, as well as some butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds. For most managed and wild pollinator species, however, population trends have not been assessed because populations have not been monitored over time. In addition, for wild species with demonstrated declines, it is often difficult to determine the causes or consequences of their decline. This report outlines priorities for research and monitoring that are needed to improve information on the status of pollinators and establishes a framework for conservation and restoration of pollinator species and communities.

More than twenty years ago, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations contributed to the growing recognition of the role of pollination in agricultural production, with the publication of “The Pollination of Cultivated Plants in the Tropics”. Since that time, the appreciation of pollinators has grown, alongside the realization that we stand to lose them. But our knowledge and understanding of crop pollination, pollinator biology, and best management practices has also expanded over this time. This volume is the second of two “compendiums for practitioners”, sharing expert knowledge on all dimensions of crop pollination in both temperate and tropical zones. The focus in this second volume is on management, study and research tools and techniques.