The most complete guide available for managing pest problems in apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums, and prunes. An indispensable guide to establishing a pest management program, diagnosing pest problems, identifying and using beneficial insects, and establishing new orchards. Includes information on training and pruning, irrigation scheduling, scheduling management activities, soil and tissue sampling, pheromone mating disruption, relative toxicity of pesticides to natural enemies and honey bees, organically acceptable pest control options, vertebrae pest control options within the ranges of endangered species.

In the light of increasing restrictions on pesticides, this collection reviews advances in understanding key diseases and insect pests of tree fruit. It shows how this understanding can be used to improve integrated disease and pest management techniques.

The book covers the life history and control of over 200 species of harmful insects present in the Mediterranean Basin, and the information provided may also apply to other areas with a Mediterranean or subtropical climate, such as in areas of North and South America, southern Africa, Asia and Australia. The over 400 colour photographs gathered here will help the reader identify many of the cited species of insects.

The book deals with the present state and problems of integrated pest management as relating to stakeholder acceptance of IPM and how integrated pest management can become a sustainable practice. The discussions include using less pesticides and the possibility of eliminating pesticides from agricultural practice.

Insect pest control continues to be a challenge for agricultural producers and researchers. Insect resistance to commonly used pesticides and the removal of toxic pesticides from the market have taken their toll on the ability of agricultural producers to produce high quality, pest-free crops within economical means. In addition to this, they must not endanger their workers or the environment. We depend on agriculture for food, feed, and fiber, making it an essential part of our economy. Many people take agriculture for granted while voicing concern over adverse effects of agricultural production practices on the environment. Insect Pest Management presents a balanced overview of environmentally safe and ecologically sound practices for managing insects. This book covers specific ecological measures, environmentally acceptable physical control measures, use of chemical pesticides, and a detailed account of agronomic and other cultural practices. It also includes a chapter on state-of-the-art integrated pest management based, a section on biological control, and lastly a section devoted to legal and legislative issues. Insect Pest Management approaches its subject in a systematic and comprehensive manner. It serves as a useful resource for professionals in the fields of entomology, agronomy, horticulture, ecology, and environmental sciences, as well as to agricultural producers, industrial chemists, and people concerned with regulatory and legislative issues.

As the human impact upon the environment becomes more apparent and severe, the need to develop agricultural techniques that cause minimal damage to the environment has increased. This is particularly the case in the area of pest management, where integrated pest management (IPM) strategies have become a fundamental component of plant protection. Focusing on insect pests of tree fruits and combining behavioural research with crop protection applications, this book emphasizes the importance of environmentally sustainable approaches in an agroecosystem. Both experimental and applied topics are discussed, including the conceptual framework of IPM, functional and behavioural ecology of a pest, host detection mechanisms and monitoring tool development, as well as pest management case studies. Representing a comprehensive discussion of tree-fruit pest management, from the evolution, ecology and behaviour of insect pests to the implementation of applied biorational programmes, this will be essential reading for researchers as well as commercial growers and extension agents.