Biological insecticides are competing more and more with traditional chemical pesticides. A successful application of natural pathogens requires a better understanding of both fungal and insect ecology and physiology. This Atlas provides a comprehensive overview of these fields and includes the taxonomy of those species of fungi which are proven pathogens. Biotechnological methods for the genetic modification of these natural pathogens resulting in further optimization and the advantages of biological control are discussed.

Taxonomy of entomopathogenic fungi, Illustrations of common fungal pathogens, Fungal pathogenesis, Natural control:ecology and biology, Biotechnology, Biological control:past,present and future,

Biological Techniques is a series of volumes aimed at introducing to a wide audience the latest advances in methodology. The pitfalls and problems of new techniques are given due consideration, as are those small but vital details not always explicit in the methods sections of journal papers.In recent years, most biological laboratories have been invaded by computers and a wealth of new DNA technology and this will be reflected in many of the titles appearing in the series.The books will be of value to advances researches and graduate students seeking to learn and apply new techniques, and will be useful to teachers of advanced undergraduate courses involving practical or project work.This manual describes the broad array of techniques that are used in insect pathology. It will provide biologists, insect pathologists, entomologists, and those interested in biological control, with the necessary information to work on a variety of pathogen groups.This book will be an essential laboratory reference for insect pathologists.Features include:* Step by-step instructions on how to isolate, identify, culture, bioassay and store the major groups of entomopathogens* Details of the practical knowledge needed by beginners to apply the techniques* Chapters written by an international group of experts* Discussion of safety testing of entomopathogens in mammals and also broader methods such as microscopy and molecular techniques* Provides extensive supplemental literature and recipes for media, fixatives and stains

Discusses the role of endophytes in food security, forestry and health. It outlines their general biology, spanning theory to practice.

Frontiers of Industrial Mycology describes the present efforts underway to create a broad range of large-scale applications using filamentous fungi. Important and environmentally sound applications currently being developed include the use of fungi for novel *B-lactams in antibiotic production, biobleaching and the bioconversion of wood pulp, agricultural biotechnology for creating biological insecticides and herbicides, food fermentations, and the commercial raising of shiitake mushrooms, a growing and largely untapped market in North America. The topics discussed in this volume are on the cutting edge of industrial mycology. This book will thus benefit a wide range of professionals and academics in biotechnology, mycology, microbiology, plant science, entomology, and biochemistry.

Mass Production of Beneficial Organisms: Invertebrates and Entomopathogens, Second Edition explores the latest advancements and technologies for large-scale rearing and manipulation of natural enemies while presenting ways of improving success rate, predictability of biological control procedures, and demonstrating their safe and effective use. Organized into three sections, Parasitoids and Predators, Pathogens, and Invertebrates for Other Applications, this second edition contains important new information on production technology of predatory mites and hymenopteran parasitoids for biological control, application of insects in the food industry and production methods of insects for feed and food, and production of bumble bees for pollination.Beneficial organisms include not only insect predators and parasitoids, but also mite predators, nematodes, fungi, bacteria and viruses. In the past two decades, tremendous advances have been achieved in developing technology for producing these organisms. Despite that and the globally growing research and interest in biological control and biotechnology applications, commercialization of these technologies is still in progress. This is an essential reference and teaching tool for researchers in developed and developing countries working to produce "natural enemies in biological control and integrated pest management programs. - Highlights the most advanced and current techniques for mass production of beneficial organisms and methods of evaluation and quality assessment - Presents methods for developing artificial diets and reviews the evaluation and assurance of the quality of mass-produced arthropods - Provides an outlook of the growing industry of insects as food and feed and describes methods for mass producing the most important insect species used as animal food and food ingredients

Understanding of the ecology of fungal entomopathogens has vastly increased since the early 1800’s, but remains challenging. The often complex interactions between pathogen and host are being unravelled through eloquent research and the importance of the often subtle interactions, in determining the success or failure of biological control, cannot be underplayed. The realm of ecology is vast and deciphering insect-fungal pathogen interactions within an ecological context will take us on voyages beyond our imagination. This book brings together the work of renowned scientists to provide a synthesis of recent research on the ecology of fungal entomopathogens exploring host-pathogen dynamics from the context of biological control and beyond. Dr. Helen Roy leads zoological research in the Biological Records Centre at the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK. The focus of her research is insect community interactions with particular emphasis on the effects of environmental change. She has been working on the ecological interactions between fungal entomopathogens and their hosts for 15 years; this continues to be a source of fascination. She has been an associate editor of BioControl since 2006. Dr. Dave Chandler is an insect pathologist at the University of Warwick, UK. He has studied entomopathogenic fungi for just over 20 years. He has particular interests in entomopathogenic fungi as biocontrol agents of horticultural crops, fungal physiology and ecology, and the pathogens of honeybees. Dr. Mark Goettel is an insect pathologist at the Lethbridge Research Centre of Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, specializing in the development of fungal entomopathogens as microbial control agents of insects. In addition to this research, he has been extensively involved in the review and revision of the regulations for registration of microbial control agents and has addressed regulatory and safety issues at the international level. He is currently President of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology and has been Editor-in-Chief of Biocontrol Science & Technology since 2000. Dr. Judith K. Pell heads the Insect Pathology Group in the Department for Plant and Invertebrate Ecology at Rothamsted Research, UK. She leads research on the ecology of fungal entomopathogens, to elucidate their role in population regulation and community structure and to inform biological control strategies. Specifically: intraguild interactions; the relationships between guild diversity, habitat diversity and ecosystem function; pathogen-induced host behavioural change. Dr. Eric Wajnberg is a population biologist specialising in behavioural ecology, statistical modelling and population genetics. He is also an expert in biological control, with more than 20 years experience of working with insect parasitoids. He has been the Editor in Chief of BioControl since 2006. Dr. Fernando E. Vega is an entomologist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, in Beltsville, Maryland, USA. He conducts research on biological methods to control the coffee berry borer, the most important insect pest of coffee throughout the world. He is co-editor, with Meredith Blackwell, of Insect-Fungal Associations: Ecology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press in 2005, and serves as an Editorial Board Member for Fungal Ecology.