Ecofriendly Pest Management for Food Security explores the broad range of opportunity and challenges afforded by Integrated Pest Management systems. The book focuses on the insect resistance that has developed as a result of pest control chemicals, and how new methods of environmentally complementary pest control can be used to suppress harmful organisms while protecting the soil, plants, and air around them. As the world's population continues its rapid increase, this book addresses the production of cereals, vegetables, fruits, and other foods and their subsequent demand increase. Traditional means of food crop production face proven limitations and increasing research is turning to alternative means of crop growth and protection. - Addresses environmentally focused pest control with specific attention to its role in food security and sustainability. - Includes a range of pest management methods, from natural enemies to biomolecules. - Written by experts with extensive real-world experience.

Their natural enemies largely determine the population size and dynamic behavior of many plant-eating insects. Any reduction in enemy number can result in an insect outbreak. Applied biological control is thus one strategy for restoring functional biodiversity in many agroecosystems. Predators and Parasitoids addresses the role of natural enemies i

Insect parasitoids are a fascinating group of animals in many respects. Perhaps the most fascinating point is that these insects, in the course of the evolutionary time, have developed an impressive way to use chemical compounds to dialogue with the different protagonists of their environment (i.e., conspecifics, their hosts and the plants on which their hosts are living). Unravelling the evolutionary meaning of such chemical communication networks can give new insights into the ecology of these insects and especially on how to improve their use for the control of noxious pests in biological control programmes. Chemical Ecology of Insect Parasitoids is a timely publication, with organised chapters to present the most important knowledge and discoveries that have taken place over the last decade, and their potential use in pest control strategy. Specific relevant case studies are presented to enhance the reader's experience. Suited to graduate students and professional researchers and practitioners in pest management, entomology, evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology, and chemical ecology, this book is essential for anyone needing information on this important group of insects.

Egg Parasitoids in Agroecosystems with emphasis on Trichogramma was conceived to help in the promotion of biological control through egg parasitoids by providing both basic and applied information. The book has a series of chapters dedicated to the understanding of egg parasitoid taxonomy, development, nutrition and reproduction, host recognition and utilization, and their distribution and host associations. There are also several chapters focusing on the mass production and commercialization of egg parasitoids for biological control, addressing important issues such as parasitoid quality control, the risk assessment of egg parasitoids to non-target species, the use of egg parasitoids in integrated pest management programs and the impact of GMO on these natural enemies. Chapters provide an in depth analysis of the literature available, are richly illustrated, and propose future trends.

Publisher Description

A pressing issue: Biodiversity and Insect pest Management confronts the indiscriminate use of pesticides, offering a range of contributions from Eminent Scientists who present alternative solutions and new ideas to eliminate this problem.

Plant based biotechnology has come to represent a means of mitigating the problems of global food security in the twenty-first century. Products and processes in agriculture are increasingly becoming linked to science and cutting edge technology, to enable the engineering of what are in effect, designer plants. One of the most successful , non-chemical approaches to pest management and disease control is biological control, which seeks a solution in terms of using living organisms to regulate the incidence of pests and pathogens, providing a natural control' while still maintaining the biological balance with the ecosystem. This volume, (the first of two), addresses the different types of biocontrol for different pests, namely, crop diseases, weeds and nematodes, and details the biology of both the pest and its enemies, which is vital for efficient use of biological control. The book has numerous contributors who are authorities in their fields, and would be an asset to those who have interest in sustainable agriculture and crop productivity.