Evaluates the carcinogenic risk to humans posed by exposure to selected miscellaneous pesticides.

This handbook illustrates and describes the 200 kinds of common weeds found in Kansas along roadsides and in yards, gardens, and cultivated fields. Designed as a reference for the general reader with no special training in botany, it will be of value to farmers, ranchers, gardeners, or anyone who must control weeds.

A detailed line drawing of the plant and a distribution map is provided for each species. The description lists its common and scientific names and includes information on the plant's typical size, stem, leaves, flowers, particular arrangement of flowers, and habitat. Useful commentary about the weed--such as whether it is poisonous to livestock--is also given. The book includes a glossary of botanical terms and an index of plant names.

A handy system of "finding lists" enable the user, working with only three or fewer structural features of a plant, to arrive at easy, on-the-spot identification of an unknown weed.

Invasive arthropods cause significant damage in agricultural crops and natural environments across the globe. Potentially threatened regions need to be prepared to prevent new pests from becoming established. Therefore, information on pest identity, host range, geographical distribution, biology, tools for detection and identification are all essential to researchers and regulatory personnel. This book focuses on the most recent invasive pests of agricultural crops in temperate subtropical and tropical areas and on potential invaders, discussing their spread, biology and control.

Coffee Wilt Disease has cost African coffee farmers an estimated US$1 billion to date, resulting from reduced yields and the extra costs incurred in trying to manage the disease. This devastating fungal disease has destroyed millions of coffee trees in affected countries across Africa and will be a contributory factor in any attempt at revitalization of the African coffee sector in the future. This book is one of the outputs of the Regional Coffee Wilt Programme and is a compilation of the current knowledge of various aspects of CWD, including information about the pathogen, its spread and importantly its management.

The community of natural enemies that inhabits agroecosystems is complex mainly due to multiple trophic interactions established among them and their target prey/hosts. Several factors can influence the efficiency of natural enemies as biological control agents, such as the occurrence of preferred food items, supplementary food resources, shelters, agricultural practices or landscapes. In this book, scientists present recent studies in regards to the identification, protection strategies and impacts of agricultural practices on important groups of natural enemies. This core focus includes specific studies on predatory species (e.g., mites, spiders, anthocorids, nabids, carabids, and coccinellids) as well as parasitoid species (hymenopterans). The different chapters present new approaches towards the conservation of natural enemies in agroecosystems, and discuss the effects of climate change and agricultural practices on biodiversity, life history and movement of natural enemies.

Agricultural and forest pests lead to many plant diseases resulting in poor yield and productivity. Traditionally, chemical pesticides have been used to control these pests. However, the adverse health impacts of chemical pesticides have triggered parallel research in safe biological options. Nevertheless, biocontrol has come a long way ever since the commercialization of the first Bacillus thuringiensis based biopesticide (sporeine) in the 1940s, however, still there are research gaps. New knowledge and practical experiences have been added over the last few decades. This book reviews research on biological control agents, including bacterial, fungal and viral biopesticides along with their advanced formulation options.

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by specific filamentous fungi that infest agricultural commodities. They are known to contaminant crops and consequently animal feeds and animal products, causing significant economic losses associated with their impact on animal health and productivity in agribusiness. In animal production, dramatic acute mycotoxin poisoning with severe or fatal disease is of relatively low prevalence. However, uncertainty and controversy continue to plague livestock producers and health professionals based on real or potential damage to feed efficiency, immune system function, inefficient animal reproduction and possible residues in the human food supply. This book describes conditions that favour mycotoxin formation and consumption, suggesting preventive approaches.

This edited book highlights the latest information on the use of nanotechnology, satellite technology, and biotechnological tools in pest management. It covers the role of climate change and ecology in managing pests and also their molecular identification. Other methods that the book encompasses are organic pest management, host-plant resistance, semiochemicals, and bio-control technology. The book also covers insect pollinators which play important role for fruits in horticultural crop production. Intensive and extensive cultivation of horticultural crops lead to serious pest problem. Climatic conditions in India and elsewhere due to which new pests have emerged that causes severe damage to the horticultural crops. In response to this, researchers have developed new techniques to fight pests and their growing resistance to pesticides. This book covers the latest information on identity, biology, damage, seasonal development, and pest management of the horticultural crop pests. It serves to be an essential tool for horticultural professionals, including development officers, horticulturists, field-level extension workers, nurserymen, planters, and entomologists, and is a valuable source of reference for relevant researchers, teachers, and students in the region.

Antimicrobial agents, called fungicides, sporicides or biocides have long been used to control, prevent and remediate microbial growth. Currently public concern about the impact of pesticides, including fungicides, on human health is greater than ever before. Pesticides are essential in agricultural production, but they constitute a potential risk to humans who are exposed to them directly through various ways and indirectly through diet. In vitro techniques used to study in vitro metabolism and interactions are briefly described in this book, summarising the metabolic and kinetic properties of selected fungicides. Different analytical methods are reported in the literature for the analysis of fungicides. Developments in the methods devoted to fungicide analysis in environmental samples over the past 15 years are also looked at. In addition, biological contaminants, especially mould in buildings, which are known to act as sources of indoor air pollution, discomfort, asthma and pulmonary disease in building occupants and antimicrobial treatments of indoor mould and bacteria are reviewed. Finally, this book shows the current situation of the analysis of fungicide residues in environmental, biological and food samples, describing the analytical methods used for their determination.

Evidence suggests that efforts to eradicate the Asian long-horned beetle appear likely to succeed, while the emerald ash borer and P. ramorum are likely to continue to infest and damage forest ecosystems indefinitely despite efforts to control them. The Asian long-horned beetle is a wood-boring insect from Asia that has caused separate infestations in parts of New York, New Jersey, and Illinois. Over 8,000 trees infested with the beetle have been removed, and over 600,000 trees have been chemically treated to protect against the beetle. As a result of these and other actions, federal and state agencies have been able to reduce the size of the infested areas. The emerald ash borer is also a wood-boring insect from Asia that has infested large areas in Michigan; Ohio; Indiana; and Ontario, Canada, killing an estimated 15 million trees. The pathogen P. ramorum is the causal agent of the disease known as Sudden Oak Death. It is of unknown origin and has infested large areas in central and northern coastal California and a small area in southern Oregon. This book examines these key environmental issues. This book is a fully-indexed excerpted version of a GAO report.

This practical guide covers the commonly used detection methods for seed-transmitted viruses and viroids that affect both tropical and temperate crops. It contains 25 complete step-by-step procedures for biological, serological and molecular techniques to detect and identify such viruses. Combining helpful practical notes with more detailed explanations of the principles behind the techniques, the book describes the general characteristics of seed-transmitted viral diseases and discusses outlines for the organization and interpretation of seed health assays. The techniques reviewed are also applicable to non-seed-transmitted viral agents.

This introductory text explores the structure/solubility relationships of organic compounds, explains how to extract pesticide residues from fruits and vegetables, analyzes the extract for pesticide content using gas chromatography, and uses the data collected as a basis for discussion about the issues surrounding pesticide regulation. Intended for use in the laboratory portion of an introductory environmental chemistry or general chemistry course.

"Optimising Pesticide Use" brings together the wide range of scientific disciplines necessary to ensure best practice through monitoring what is used and improving how it is formulated and applied. The book provides: an in depth exploration of pesticide optimisation from the view point of industry and research scientist; a case study on the development of a new range of active chemistries from bacteria; and a discussion of complementary pest control methods. This text will provide essential information to workers in the pesticide industry and regulatory community who need to be aware of current thinking and advancements in the optimal use of pesticidal compounds and systems, as well as environmental organisations and aid development organisations.

This book illustrates how the potential use of the pheromones (scouting, monitoring, or optimal timing of insecticide application) depends on both the pest and the pheromone. The case of the three most important corn pests for the region of South Eastern Europe: wireworms, western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte and European corn borer (ECB) Ostrinia nubilalis Hubn are discussed herein. Pheromones should not be used to determine intensity of the infestation, but to set the period of the maximum incidence of the moth, on the basis of which information the period of the application of insecticides is set.

The design of fixings in concrete is in practice almost exclusively performed with programs provided by manufacturers. For the interpretation of the results and to deal with any application case, this book offers explanations about the design procedure.

"Dying on the Vine" chronicles 150 years of scientific warfare against the grapevine's worst enemy: phylloxera. In a book that is highly relevant for the wine industry today, George Gale describes the biological and economic disaster that unfolded when a tiny, root-sucking insect invaded the south of France in the 1860s, spread throughout Europe, and journeyed across oceans to Africa, South America, Australia, and California - laying waste to vineyards wherever it landed. He tells how scientists, viticulturalists, researchers, and others came together to save the world's vineyards and, with years of observation and research, developed a strategy of resistance. Among other topics, the book discusses phylloxera as an important case study of how one invasive species can colonize new habitats and examines California's past and present problems with it.

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.

This is the first truly comprehensive A-Z reference work on the subject, having approximately 2,000 pages in a practical two-volume format. The full-length entries provide detail that glossaries and dictionaries cannot. Over 900 individual entries provide thorough coverage, and a number of biographical entries are included on important plant pathologists and plant scientists.

Contributed papers by experts in the field detail how to put integrated pest management to work. Presents the philosophy and practice, ecological and economic background as well as strategies and techniques including not only the use of chemical pesticides but also biological, genetic and cultural methods to manage the harm done by insect pests. Covers such key crops as cotton, corn, apples and forage. This edition reports important advances of the last decade including an increased environmental and ecological awareness and a trend toward lower chemical pesticide use.

The Georgia Pest Management Handbook provides current information on selection, application, and safe use of pest control chemicals. This handbook has recommendations for pest control around homes and on pets; for pests of home garden vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals; and for pests of public health interest associated with our homes. Cultural, biological, physical, and other types of control are recommended where appropriate. Pesticide recommendations are based on information on the manufacturer labels and on performance data from research and extension trials at the University of Georgia and its sister institutions. Because environmental conditions, the severity of pest pressure, and methods of application vary widely, recommendations do not imply that performance of pesticides will always be acceptable. This publication is intended to be used only as a guide. Trade and brand names are used only for information. The University of Georgia does not guarantee nor warrant published standards on any product mentioned; nor does the use of a trade or brand name imply approval of any product to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable. Always follow the use instructions and precautions on the pesticide label. For questions, concerns, or improvement suggestions regarding the Georgia Pest Management Handbook, please contact your county agent.

Myxomatosis, a viral disease of European wild rabbits, was discovered in South America in the 1890s. It was deliberately introduced in Australia and France in the 1950s and reached Britain in 1953. Within a year it had killed tens of millions of rabbits from Kent to the Shetlands. The British reaction to myxomatosis was mixed: members of the public reared on the tales of Beatrix Potter were appalled and, with meat still rationed, consumers deplored the loss of a cheap and nutritious foodstuff. Many farmers, on the other hand, welcomed the rabbit's demise as a serious agricultural pest and actively spread the disease. However, some lost their livelihood through the spread of Myxomatosis, such as rough shooters who regretted the loss of prey and hatters and furriers who mourned the unavailability of the fur on which they depended. Rabbits also had champions within the 'establishment'; including Winston Churchill and the Archbishop of York, who both regarded myxomatosis as an abomination. Winston Churchill was personally influential in making its deliberate transmission a criminal offence. Even the farmers and foresters who applauded the rabbit's demise often had qualms about a disease that inflicted such a horrible death. Myxomatosis presented the authorities with difficult questions: should they try to contain the disease, encourage it, or do nothing? Should they take advantage of rabbit depopulation and try to exterminate the animal? Britain's myxomatosis outbreak has hitherto attracted little historical attention, notwithstanding parallels with other recent animal disease crises. In the first book dedicated to this subject, Peter Bartrip examines how the disease reached Britain. He argues it was not the government who was responsible, as many thought at the time, but instead identifies the individual who may have deliberately brought myxomatosis over from France. Bartrip tracks the spread of the virus throughout the country and considers the response of government and other bodies and the impact of rabbit de-population on agriculture and the natural environment. The cultural significance of myxomatosis in Britain raises topical and controversial issues relating to veterinary medicine, animal rights, the interface between human and animal health, the ethics of pest control by biological means and the politics of environmental meddling. These are important considerations if we are to learn lessons from more recent animal disease crises such as foot and mouth, BSE and H5N1 avian influenza.

"Presto! No More Pests!" proclaimed a 1955 article introducing two new pesticides, ""miracle-workers for the housewife and back-yard farmer."" Easy to use, effective, and safe: who wouldn't love synthetic pesticides? Apparently most Americans did-and apparently still do. Why-in the face of dire warnings, rising expense, and declining effectiveness-do we cling to our chemicals? Michelle Mart wondered. Her book, a cultural history of pesticide use in postwar America, offers an answer. America's embrace of synthetic pesticides began when they burst on the scene during World War II and has held steady into the 21st century-for example, more than 90% of soybeans grown in the US in 2008 are Roundup Ready GMOs, dependent upon generous use of the herbicide glyphosate to control weeds. Mart investigates the attraction of pesticides, with their up-to-the-minute promise of modernity, sophisticated technology, and increased productivity-in short, their appeal to human dreams of controlling nature. She also considers how they reinforced Cold War assumptions of Western economic and material superiority. Though the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and the rise of environmentalism might have marked a turning point in Americans' faith in pesticides, statistics tell a different story. Pesticides, a Love Story recounts the campaign against DDT that famously ensued; but the book also shows where our notions of Silent Spring's revolutionary impact falter-where, in spite of a ban on DDT, farm use of pesticides in the United States more than doubled in the thirty years after the book was published. As a cultural survey of popular and political attitudes toward pesticides, Pesticides, a Love Story tries to make sense of this seeming paradox. At heart, it is an exploration of the story we tell ourselves about the costs and benefits of pesticides-and how corporations, government officials, ordinary citizens, and the press shape that story to reflect our ideals, interests, and emotions.

The world of insects is one we only dimly understand. Yet from using arsenic, cobalt, and quicksilver to kill household infiltrators to employing the sophisticated tools of the Orkin Man, Americans have fought to eradicate the "bugs" they have learned to hate. Inspired by the still-revolutionary theories of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, James E. McWilliams argues for a more harmonious and rational approach to our relationship with insects, one that does not harm our environment and, consequently, ourselves along the way. Beginning with the early techniques of colonial farmers and ending with the modern use of chemical insecticides, McWilliams deftly shows how America's war on insects mirrors its continual struggle with nature, economic development, technology, and federal regulation. He reveals a very American paradox: the men and women who settled and developed this country sought to control the environment and achieve certain economic goals; yet their methods of agricultural expansion undermined their efforts and linked them even closer to the inexorable realities of the insect world. As told from the perspective of the often flamboyant actors in the battle against insects, American Pests is a fascinating investigation into the attitudes, policies, and practices that continue to influence our behavior toward insects. Asking us to question, if not abandon, our reckless (and sometimes futile) attempts at insect control, McWilliams convincingly argues that insects, like people, have an inherent right to exist and that in our attempt to rid ourselves of insects, we compromise the balance of nature.

Crop protection continues to be an important component of modern farming to maintain food production to feed an expanding human population, but considerable changes have occurred in the regulation of pesticides in Europe in the last decade. The aim has been to reduce their impact on people and the environment. This has resulted in a major reduction in the number of chemicals approved for application on crops. In other parts of the world, a continuing expansion in the growing of genetically modified crops has also changed the pattern of pesticide use. In this second edition, Graham Matthews, updates how pesticides are registered and applied and the techniques used to mitigate their effects in the environment. Information on operator safety, protection of workers in crops treated with pesticides and spray drift affecting those who live in farming areas is also discussed. By bringing together the most recent research on pesticides in a single volume, this book provides a vital up to date resource for agricultural scientists, agronomists, plant scientists, plant pathologists, entomologists, environmental scientists, public health personnel, toxicologists and others working in the agrochemical industry and governments. It should assist development of improvements in harmonising regulation of pesticides in countries with limited resources for registration of pesticides.