This book addresses the impact of important climatic changes on plant pests (including weeds, diseases and insect pests), and their interactions with crop plants. Anthropogenic activities have seriously impacted the global climate. As a result, carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperature levels of the earth are on a continuous rise. The global temperature is expected to increase by a 3 DegreesC or more by the end of this century. The CO2 concentration was below 300 parts per million (ppm) before the start of the industrial era; however, recently it has exceeded 400 ppm. This is highest ever in human history. Other than global warming and elevated CO2 concentrations, anthropogenic activities have also disturbed the global water cycle, ultimately, impacting the quantity and distribution of rainfall. This has resulted in drought conditions in many parts of the world. Global warming, elevated CO2 concentration and drought are considered the most important recent climatic changes that are impacting global ecosystems and human societies. Among other impacts, the effects of climatic changes on pests, pest-crop interactions and pest control are important with relevance to global food security, and hence require immediate attention by plant scientists. This book discusses innovative and the most effective pest control methods under an environment of changing climate and elaborates on the impact of drought on plant pests and their control.

This book addresses the impact of important climatic changes on plant pests (including weeds, diseases and insect pests), and their interactions with crop plants. Anthropogenic activities have seriously impacted the global climate. As a result, carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperature levels of the earth are on a continuous rise. The global temperature is expected to increase by a 3 DegreesC or more by the end of this century. The CO2 concentration was below 300 parts per million (ppm) before the start of the industrial era; however, recently it has exceeded 400 ppm. This is highest ever in human history. Other than global warming and elevated CO2 concentrations, anthropogenic activities have also disturbed the global water cycle, ultimately, impacting the quantity and distribution of rainfall. This has resulted in drought conditions in many parts of the world. Global warming, elevated CO2 concentration and drought are considered the most important recent climatic changes that are impacting global ecosystems and human societies. Among other impacts, the effects of climatic changes on pests, pest-crop interactions and pest control are important with relevance to global food security, and hence require immediate attention by plant scientists. This book discusses innovative and the most effective pest control methods under an environment of changing climate and elaborates on the impact of drought on plant pests and their control.

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on integrated weed management in cereal cultivation. The first chapter examines the problem of weeds in barley and explains the application of integrated weed management (IWM) to barley cultivation. The chapter also outlines weed control tactics and the practical implementation of IWM in barley. The second chapter reviews the availability of cultural strategies which can be used in wheat cultivation as part of an IWM strategy. The chapter considers the implementation of practices that can improve crop health, including diverse crop rotations. The third chapter considers the impact of weeds on maize cultivation and productivity, as well as the emergence of IWM as a sustainable method of controlling weeds. The chapter assesses the efficacy of key IWM techniques, such as crop rotations. The fourth chapter provides a detailed assessment of the biological constraints currently impacting the productivity of rice cultivation, focusing on the issue of weeds. The chapter includes an overview of the IWM approach and its benefits. The final chapter focuses on competitive cereal crops and cultural strategies for weed management, including the use of weed-suppressive cultivars, post-harvest crop residues, and cover crops for management of the weed seedbank and eventual weed suppression.

This specially curated collection features five reviews of current and key research on improving crop weed management. The first chapter highlights the need for alternative weed control strategies that will preserve herbicide efficacy, as well as agricultural and environmental sustainability. The chapter discusses the role of integrated weed management (IWM) in achieving this through the implementation of practices that can improve plant health, such as crop rotations and no-till farming. The second chapter considers the use of IWM in barley cultivation. After an initial outline of more traditional control methods, primarily the use of herbicides, the chapter provides an example of the successful implementation of IWM in barley in the form of two case studies. The third chapter reviews the impact of weeds on maize grown under temperate conditions in the United States and Europe. It provides a summary of current weed management systems and discusses the issue of herbicide resistance in weed varieties. The fourth chapter reviews the use of IWM in rice cultivation for improved crop productivity and performance and offers detailed discussions on the variety of techniques that can be incorporated into an IWM strategy to achieve this. The final chapter presents a number of weed management options and considerations for sorghum, and discusses the critical period for weed control to occur.