"Plant Defense" provides an overview of all major aspects of plant defence, including defence against pathogens, parasites, and invertebrate and vertebrate herbivores. The book looks at defense mechanisms including structural and chemical defences, and constitutive and inducible defences. Including details of how plants 'sense' attack and how this is communicated within the plant and also to neighbouring plants, how plants coordinate defence responses to simultaneous multiple attacks, and the energy and resources expended by a plant in maintaining and implementing its defence systems.

Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the economy of tropical Asia, but arthropod pests are major constraints to production. This book consolidates the research on pests of South and Southeast Asia, providing useful data for the establishment of sustainable pest management programs. It covers the main arthropod pests of twenty five major crops, with color photographs of their adult and immature stages, their distribution, biology, disease vectors, symptoms of the damage they cause and their natural enemies.

"The sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems is a standard reference on how best to target support for smallholders to achieve real improvements in their livelihoods." (IITA - Cassava Matters) Due to a lack of understanding of the constraints they face, many projects developed to support smallholders fail with low adoption rates and limited improvements in livelihoods and food security. Greater emphasis must be placed upon successfully supporting smallholder farmers and their farming systems. The sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems provides a comprehensive review of recent research on effective support measures to improve the livelihoods of smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa. This collection features detailed discussions on ways to improve access to key resources, such as seeds, tools and expertise for soil health improvement and integrated pest management (IPM) programmes. A part dedicated to finance and information assesses the need to improve support systems, including farmer organisations and commercial extension services, for the benefit of particular groups of smallholders, e.g. female farmers. Based on a wealth of practical experience from leading experts in the field, The sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems will be a standard reference on how best to target support for smallholders to achieve real improvements in their livelihoods. It will be essential reading for university and other researchers studying smallholder farming systems in departments of agricultural science, international development, politics and development economics. It will also be a key reference for government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in development programmes focussing on smallholders, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

This book brings together specialized information on modern aspects of applied microbiology in pest management. In the last few decades, the humans have witnessed major advancements in Life Sciences, as a result several new and powerful tools and techniques have evolved. This has led to great advancements in microbial nutrition, genetics and their application in different fields. In modern era of biotechnology, the microbes have provided solutions to many of the human problems and necessities and thus serve as human and farmers' friends. The microbes have proved to be successful tools for the pest management. Similarly, there has been much advancement in the field of molecular biology, where many more techniques have evolved which can be helpful in the field of pest management too. Plant resistance, development of transgenic plants, and many more techniques are being considered the panacea to pest problems. On the other hand, there are wide spread concerns of the safety of these microbial and biotechnological interventions with nontarget organisms including humans. While the world stands divided on the ethical issues of these approaches and the many safety concerns, scientists believe that well thought of microbial and biotechnological interventions are probably the only safest ways possible for reducing pest attacks on crops. This is useful read for postgraduate students and teachers, plant protection practioners across the world and also useful for policy planners.

Overviews of biochemical, genetic, and molecular perspectives of plant-insect interactions with added emphasis on bioinformatic, genomic, and transcriptome analysis are comprehensively treated in this book. It presents the agro-ecological and evolutionary aspects of plant-insect interactions with an exclusive focus on the climate change effect on the resetting of plant-insect interactions. A valuable resource for biotechnologists, entomologists, agricultural scientists, and policymakers, the book includes theoretical aspects as a base toward real-world applications of holistic integrated pest management in agro-ecosystems.

A number of species of Thysanoptera (thrips) are increasingly important crop pests in many parts of the world, as well as in some cases being vectors of plant disease. Communicating the known information about a species of organism is dependent on our ability to recognize or identify it accurately. This book is a completely revised and rewritten edition of the standard, widely used manual on these minute flying insects written by J.M. Palmer, L.A. Mound and G.J. du Heaume and published in 1989 as "CIE Guides to Insects of Importance to Man 2. Thysanoptera," which provides a practical identification guide on a worldwide scale. The previous version posed problems for students in terms of fluency in English & knowledge of dichotomous keys. However, this thoroughly updated edition incorporates a new set of pictorial keys, which have been developed and used very successfully for training courses at the International Institute of Entomology and which will greatly enhance the ability of the non-specialist to identify thrips to species. Individuals of these insects can usually be identified only by examination under a microscope, often at high power. Within each species, individuals can vary in size, colour and shape and their appearance can be altered by techniques used in preparation. This booklet describes techniques used in the preparation of thrip specimens onto slides for identification and the means of identifying slide-mounted specimens most commonly encountered. It also introduces students to the biological diversity that is found amongst the Thysanoptera, their economic importance in terms of both damaging and beneficial effects, new identification techniques, additional information and taxa, glossary of technical terms, notes on each genus (described alphabetically within their families and subfamilies). Supplementary keys to species are also given within four genera that include several pest species (Caliothrips, Frankliniella, Scirtothrips and Thrips) along with new distribution records which have occurred since the publication of the first edition. It is an essential tool for applied entomologists and crop protection specialists involved in the control of crop pest thrips, and thrip taxonomists.

This book is a compendium of current information on all aspects of these economically important parasites. It provides comprehensive coverage of their biology, management, morphology and diagnostics, in addition to up-to-date information on molecular aspects of taxonomy, host-parasitic relationships and resistance. Written by a team of international experts, Cyst Nematodes will be invaluable to all researchers, lecturers and students in nematology, parasitology, agriculture and agronomy, industries with an interest in chemical and biological control products for management of plant-parasitic nematodes, and any courses, quarantine and advisory services.

Swathes of the human world are covered in ornamental grass lawns; they are the single most commonly encountered horticultural feature on the planet. Unfortunately, they are now often viewed as resource-draining green deserts due to the lack of plant and animal diversity, the need for frequent mowing and watering, and addition of lawn greening products to keep them looking at their best. It is a venerable horticultural feature that is essentially frozen in time, and with few alternatives to whet the appetite, the lawn has languished in its current grass-only format for decades. Until now. Tapestry lawns are a new, practically researched and timely development of the ornamental lawn format that integrates both horticultural practice and ecological science and re-determines the potential of a lawn. Mown barely a handful of times a year and with no need for fertilisers or scarifying, tapestry lawns are substantially richer in their diversity of plant and animal life compared to traditional grass-only lawns and see the return of flowers and colour to a format from which they are usually purposefully excluded. Tapestry Lawns: Freed from Grass and Full of Flowers traces the changes in the lawn format from its origins to the modern day and offers information on how and why the tapestry lawn construct is now achievable. It provides guidance on how to create and maintain a tapestry lawn of your own and champions the potential benefits for wildlife that can follow. Features Accessible and informative to all types of readers from academic to amateur Includes a refined and tested set of useful tapestry lawn plants Contains step-by-step instructions for creation and management methods of grass-free lawns Illustrated in full colour If you have ever thought about mowing your lawn much less, making it much more colourful and wildlife friendly, then this book will inform and guide you to create a perfect, grass-free lawn.

Arthropods as pests in crops, vectors of diseases, pollinators, and natural enemies of pests are of huge economic importance. They affect livestock, human health and food supplies around the world. This unique book examines and reviews how light and colour can be used to enhance pest management in agricultural and medical applications by manipulating the optical responses of arthropods. Arthropods use optical cues to find food, oviposition sites and to navigate. Light also regulates their diurnal and seasonal activities. Plants use optical cues to attract or deter various species of arthropod. In this book, an international team of experts show how light can be used successfully to attract, arrest, confuse and deter arthropods as well as to disrupt their biological clocks. The book: Presents an up-to-date and thorough summary of what is known about how arthropods of agricultural and medical importance respond to visual cues. Describes techniques that use light to manipulate pests and beneficial insects and mites. Presents a broad discussion of the potential use of optical manipulation of arthropods to improve the health of plants, domestic animals and humans.

Plant galls may be produced by a wide variety of organisms, from fungi to parasitic insects, on an equally wide variety of hosts. Their taxonomy is highly complex, as are the life cycles of the organisms associated with them. Yet, common as they are, plant galls are often poorly understood. This book brings together information from the diverse disciplines involved in the study of plant galls: ecology, evolution, molecular biology, physiology, and developmental biology. The work considers the latest issues, covering questions of classification, coevolution, ecology, physiology, and plant genetic engineering. As an up-to-date resource in an area of immense interest and debate, the book will enhance the quality of discussion surrounding these phenomena, across all disciplinary perspectives.

Aquatic weeds cause serious problems in water bodies throughout the world. They can, for example, block irrigation and drainage channels, interfere with fisheries, hinder navigation, and have environmentally undesirable effects on fresh-water ecosystems. The problems are most severe in tropical and subtropical countries, but they occur almost everywhere. The management of aquatic weeds poses special problems of its own. The main difficulty is to balance effective treatment against the undesirable side-effects that control operations may have on the ecosystem. This book, which is published for the European Weed Research Society, provides a detailed overview of the ecology and management of aquatic weeds, as well as the present status of aquatic weed problems in various continents. The environmental consequences of aquatic weed control measures are discussed in detail. The book will be of special interest to weed scientists, ecologists, agriculturalists, extension personnel, policy makers, and students.

With the recent shift of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to organic agriculture, the employment of microbes that perform significant beneficial functions for plants has been highlighted. This book presents timely discussion and coverage on the use of microbial formulations, which range from powdered or charcoal-based to solution and secondary metabolite-based bioformulations. Bioformulation development of biofertilizers and biopesticides coupled with the advantages of nanobiotechnology propose significant applications in the agricultural section including nanobiosensors, nanoherbicides, and smart transport systems for the regulated release of agrochemical. Moreover, the formulation of secondary metabolites against individual phytopathogens could be used irrespective of geographical positions with higher disease incidences. The prospective advantages and uses of nanobiotechnology generate tremendous interest, as it could augment production of agricultural produce while being cost-effective both energetically and economically. This bioformulation approach is incomparable to existing technology, as the bioformulation would explicitly target the particular pathogen without harming the natural microbiome of the ecosystem. Nanobiotechnology in Bioformulations covers the constraints associated with large-scale development and commercialization of bioinoculant formations. Furthermore, exclusive emphasis is be placed on next-generation efficient bioinoculants having secondary metabolite formulations with longer shelf life and advanced competence against several phytopathogens. Valuable chapters deal with bioformulation strategies that use divergent groups of the microbiome and include detailed diagrammatic and pictorial representation. This book will be highly beneficial for both experts and novices in the fields of microbial bioformulation, nanotechnology, and nano-microbiotechnology. It discusses the prevailing status and applications available for microbial researchers and scientists, agronomists, students, environmentalists, agriculturists, and agribusiness professionals, as well as to anyone devoted to sustaining the ecosystem.

This book presents a broad range of technologies for sustainable agrochemistry, e.g. semiochemicals for pest management, nanotechnology for release of eco-friendly agrochemicals, and green chemistry principles for agriculture. It provides a concise introduction to sustainable agrochemistry for a professional audience, and highlights the main scientific and technological approaches that can be applied to modern agrochemistry. It also discusses various available technologies for reducing the negative impacts of agrochemicals on the environment and human health.

Domestic livestock in Africa are of importance not only as a source of milk and meat but also as a source of animal traction enabling farmers to cultivate larger areas, with crops providing the staple foods. Trypanosomosis, a parasitic disease transmitted cyclically by the tsetse fly (Glossina spp.), is arguably still the main constraint to livestock production on the continent, preventing full use of the land to feed the rapidly increasing human population. Sleeping sickness, the disease caused in humans by species of Trypanosoma, is an important and neglected disease posing a threat to millions of people in tsetse-infested areas. Often wrongly thought of as a disease of the past, the prevalence of human sleeping sickness is increasing in many areas.Although alternative methods to control the disease are being investigated, such as immunological approaches, use of chemotherapy or exploitation of the trypanotolerance trait, it is only control or eradication of the tsetse fly vector which will remove the threat of the disease rather than providing a better means of "living" with it. As a result of the economic impact of tsetse-transmitted Trypanosomosis, a large amount of research literature has been produced. This book provides a comprehensive review of this literature. The text is divided into four parts: tsetse biology and ecology, epidemiology, vector control and control of trypanosomosis. The book is invaluable for medical and veterinary entomologists, parasitologists and epidemiologists.

We have been witnessing a silent chemical revolution over the past half century. Pesticides bring widespread environmental contamination, with residues detected far from their site of application. These substances are playing havoc with the lives of humans and the environment because of their indiscriminate use. Pesticide Risk Assessment describes the environmental risks associated with the injudicious use of pesticides and their mixtures, their methods of estimation and assessment, and their regulation. It also contains methods to reduce and minimize the risks associated with the use of pesticides. The book: Examines pesticides, their impact on the environment, mode of action, estimation methods, risk assessment, mixture toxicity, alternatives for risk reduction, and regulatory aspects. Includes global case studies detailing cases of pesticide poisoning, and the health effects of exposure to pesticides. Covers risks to human health, aquifers and aquatic organisms, pollinators, soil micro flora and fauna, terrestrial organisms and wildlife. Suitable for anyone involved in pesticide application and integrated pest management, this is essential reading for researchers, scientists, extension workers and policy makers.

This essential handbook for advanced student and practicing plant pathologists has been thoroughly reorganized and updated since publication of the second edition in 1983. New features include the rearrangement of topics to facilitate use, and 44 short succinct chapters, each providing valuable and practical information. There are several new chapter topics and five overall sections covering disease recognition and evaluation, causation, diagnosis and investigation as well as disease management and general techniques and information.

This book documents and illustrates major developments in the use of nematodes for the biological control of insects and slugs. It covers the use of three main types of nematodes: entomopathogenic nematodes, entomophilic nematodes and slug-parasitic nematodes. The biology, commercial production, formulation and quality control, application technology, strategy and safety of each of these three nematode groups is discussed. The book also examines the application of nematodes in different cropping systems, and the efficacy of nematodes against specific pests. The potential of predatory nematodes to control plant-parasitic nematodes and mycophagous nematodes to control fungal pathogens is also reviewed.

Nematodes are the most abundant and diversified group in the animal kingdom, with four out of five animals on earth being nematodes. Nematology was first recognized as an independent discipline during the early part of the century and since that time has made unparalleled advances to become an integral part of biological sciences.Written as two volumes, this title provides a broad overview of our current knowledge of nematology. The first volume addresses basic biology, while the second volume covers applied aspects of nematodes as parasites of plants, humans and other animals, or as disease vectors, and the control of pest nematodes. The contributors to this work include the world 's leading authorities from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, New Zealand, UK and USA. It will provide essential reading for researchers and students with an interest in nematology.

"Pest and Disease Management Handbook "updates the 3rd edition of the "Pest and Disease Control Handbook" (1989). The structure of this important new book differs in several respects, acknowledging the advances that have been made in integrated crop management and the trends towards the more rational use of pesticides.

Fully revised and up-to-date, the book commences with a new introductory chapter covering the principles of pest and disease management. Following chapters, each written by acknowledged experts in the field, cover a group of major temperate northern hemisphere crops. As well as comprehensive details of pest and disease management strategies, each chapter also includes a classification scheme for the cited pests and diseases.

This important publication is a vital tool for all those involved in the crop protection / agrochemical industry including business managers, entomologists, agricultural scientists, plant pathologists and those studying and teaching BASIS courses. As an important reference guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying agricultural sciences, applied entomology and crop protection, copies of the book should be available on the shelves of all research establishments and universities where these subjects are studied and taught.

"Pest and Disease Management Handbook "is published for the British Crop Protection Council (BCPC) by Blackwell Science. BCPC is a registered charity having the principal objective of promoting the development, use and understanding of effective and sustainable crop protection practice.

Dr David V Alford, based in Cambridge, UK, is a member of the BCPC board, with many years' experience working as a government entomologist.

Biological control has made a major contribution to integrated pest management (IPM) in Africa, but its documentation has been scattered and often under-reported. This book provides a review of the most important studies, including not only successes, but also on-going challenges. The focus is on arthropod pests and weeds, but diseases are also covered where significant. In 24 chapters, case studies and promising research results are presented that cover biocontrol by naturally occurring agents, by exotic agents or by seasonal manipulation. This book provides a valuable resource for scientists worldwide. It is particularly useful for pest control professionals working in Africa.

Thrips have recently surged to prominence as insect pests of field, plantation and glasshouse crops in many countries, associated with increased international trade in fresh vegetables, fruit, flowers and plant propagation material. They can cause direct feeding damage to the aerial parts of plants, resulting in yield loss and spoilage, and some are vectors of destructive plant viruses. Their minute size and secretive habits make them particularly difficult to detect and control. This book, containing contributions from several world authorities from Europe, the USA and Asia, is the most comprehensive treatise on thrips as crop pests ever to be published. It brings together a vast amount of modern work set against a wealth of background knowledge, covering basic biology, ecology, applied science and pest control. The result is a book indispensable for agricultural advisers and growers concerned with thrips pests, and a unique reference source and stimulus for research entomologists studying these intriguing insects.

Advances in analytical chemistry methodology now allow us to detect the most minute trace amounts of pesticides. As this capacity grows, so does public concern about toxic contamination, resulting in stricter government regulations and a growing demand for even more sensitive, precise, and reliable analysis.

Addressing the interplay between regulations and the development of analytical technology, this volume presents the first unified treatment of the regulatory and analytical aspects of pesticide residues. Current regulations, existing and emerging methodologies, state-of-the-art instrumentation, and the basic science of analyzing for pesticides in food and other environmental media are all covered.

The book provides step-by-step guidelines to analytical techniques, along with real-world examples from the latest research—showing the reader how to analyze minute traces of pesticides quickly and accurately, using both highly sophisticated and basic, less sensitive techniques. Many safety issues are explored in depth, as are the regulatory aspects of pesticide registration, residue analysis, exposure monitoring, risk assessment, and tolerance enforcement.

Timely, authoritative, and practical throughout, Pesticide Residues in Foods is an invaluable reference for analytical chemists and laboratory managers everywhere—in industry, agriculture, environmental sciences, research, and instrument manufacturing—and for anyone with an interest in the broader environmental, agricultural, and consumer-related implications of pesticide use.

An invaluable resource for analytical chemists and laboratory managers, Pesticide Residues in Foods provides a complete overview of the theory, practice, and regulatory aspects of pesticide residue analysis today, including:

• All regulatory issues, from risk assessment and tolerance to data-quality requirements to laboratory accreditation standards
• State-of-the-art methodologies and instrumentation, including high- performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry
• The application of analytical technology to "green chemistry," such as the reduction of solvents and toxic reagents in the laboratory
• Novel solutions to the old problem of keeping the food supply safe from harmful levels of pesticides
• Ample examples to help analytical chemists select the most appropriate method for a given residue analysis
• Easy-to-use tables and figures throughout the text

This book addresses these topical issues and is based on a Discussion Meeting held at the Royal Society, London, in April 1998. Contributors include scientists from leading research groups in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. The papers have also been published as an issue of the journal Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, published by the Royal Society. Topics covered include molecular genetics, mechanisms, ecological genetics and management. There is also discussion of the genetically delivered toxicant derived from the insect pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis. The book is essential reading for agricultural, medical and veterinary entomologists concerned with pest management.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Agriculture has had a fundamental impact on agricultural policy worldwide. The new WTO agreements will cover agriculture,sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade and trade in intellectual property rights. This book addresses the interface between the law of international agricultural trade, the emerging legal and economic order for agricultural trade under the auspices of the WTO, and its impact on agricultural policy reform both in the European Union and the USA. With contributions from leading authorities in the appropriate areas.

This book is an essential companion volume to "Quarantine Pests for Europe, 2nd Edition" and "Illustrations of Quarantine Pests for Europe." The three titles are the result of collaboration between CABI and EPPO in the compilation of data on the pests of phytosanitary significance for the European and Mediterranean region. This present publication provides updated geographic distributions of over 350 pests for which data sheets and illustrations are already available. A map is provided for each pest showing the current world distribution graphically. This is supported by a list of the countries and provinces in which the pest has been recorded with a coded indication of its current status. Coverage extends to insects, mites, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, viruses and parasitic plants. The pests concerned are either entirely absent from the European and Mediterranean region (A1 list) or have a restricted distribution (A2 list). Text within the book is provided in both English and French.