This collection reviews current advances in integrated pest management (IPM) for horticultural crops, including the use of biological control mechanisms, technological developments such as proximal sensors, agronomic practices and physical control.

The book is intended to provide a clear overview on the management of pests and diseases of horticulture crops, associated soil and beneficial fauna, residue status of pesticides and their estimation techniques. It is divided in four parts: Part I explain the practices followed in the pest management of horticulture crops. s include pest status of insects, mites, rodents, and diseases in fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, spices and mushrooms and their management. Different aspects of biological, cultural, and mechanical controls are also highlighted. Harmful and beneficial soil fauna associated with horticulture crops are dealt in Part II. Keeping in view the potential of beneficial organisms, the effects of pesticides on predators, parasites and pollinators have also been discussed in this section. The recent scientific developments related to residue status in vegetables, fruits and spices are provided in Part III. Part IV includes the residue estimation techniques of various pesticides.

This book has been written, primarily due to my own felt need to have a comprehensive text book on the pests of horticultural crops and methods to manage it, in the integrated way. Due to the widespread use of digital color photography and the good resolution that you get in even the basic level digital cameras, it is possible to get good photos. It was thus more of a need to have a text book to teach the UG and PG students, that this book was written. It was also necessary that any practicing field level worker like officers of the state department of Agriculture and commodity boards, and every practicing farmer with an ability to read English text book, should be guided into the basic facts about the pests of crops. It is most likely that most of the information is available in this book itself, as pest of some other crop. It will then be possible to read on the pest in that, and manage the pest effectively using the latest techniques available to the crop management expert.

Pest damage can range from leaf damage that has no effect on the value of the fruit to severe damage that kills plants, significantly reduces crop yield or reduces the crop's market value. Pests may also cause contamination of fruit at harvest, reducing its marketability. Fruit pests include insects and mites, pathogens, nematodes, weeds and vertebrates. Effective pest management is based on thorough consideration of ecological and economic factors. The pest, its biology and the type of damage it causes are some of the factors that determine which control strategies and methods, if any, should be used. Pest management decisions largely determine the kind and amount of pesticides used. Pest management decisions represent a compromise between the value of the product, the extent of the pest damage, the relative effectiveness and cost of the control measures, and the impact on the environment. Pesticide application refers to the practical way in which pesticides, (including herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, or nematode control agents) are delivered to their biological targets (e.g. pest organism, crop or other plant). Public concern about the use of pesticides has highlighted the need to make this process as efficient as possible, in order to minimize their release into the environment and human exposure.

This new book on the sustainable management of insect pests in important vegetables offers valuable management strategies in detail. It focuses on eco-friendly technology and approaches to mitigating the damage caused by insect pests with special reference to newer insecticides. Chapters in the volume provide an introduction to vegetable entomology and go on to present a plethora of research on sustainable eco-friendly pest management strategies for root vegetables, spice crops, tuber crops, and more. Vegetable crops that are infested by several insect pests from the nursery to the harvesting stage cause enormous crop losses. Given that it is estimated that up to 40 percent of global crops are lost to agricultural pests each year, new research on effective management strategies is vital. The valuable information provided in this book will be very helpful for faculty and advanced-level students, scientists and researchers, policymakers, and others involved in pest management for vegetable crops.