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.

This is a revised edition of an undergraduate textbook, which incorporates advances in insect pest management, and has been updated throughout to provide a more balanced, comprehensive coverage of the subject. Topics include a history of insect pest management, and a discussion of insecticides.

Assisting anyone in need of an easy-to-use yet comprehensive survey of all pests likely to be encountered in North America, this handbook provides thorough identification guides, descriptions of pest life history, and pest management recommendations. Including hundreds of illustrations, this guide is cross-referenced to scientific literature, and includes color plates for ease of insect identification.

Authored by an integrated committee of plant and animal scientists, this review of newer molecular genetic techniques and traditional research methods is presented as a compilation of high-reward opportunities for agricultural research. Directed to the Agricultural Research Service and the agricultural research community at large, the volume discusses biosciences research in genetic engineering, animal science, plant science, and plant diseases and insect pests. An optimal climate for productive research is discussed.

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.

Authoritative text enables readers to identify pests quickly and to prevent, correct, or live with most common pest problems. 250 color photos, 100 drawings.