Integrated pest management in the global arena /

Integrated pest management (IPM) is invaluable in decreasing overreliance on chemical pesticides and the environmental consequences of their use. In many environments the application of proven IPM tactics has been demonstrated repeatedly to reduce dependence on these chemicals in developing and developed regions of the globe. For example, IPM in Sudan successfully combated the abuse of insecticides for controlling primary pests, which had led to devastating losses to the cotton crop from whiteflies, a secondary pest. Implementation of IPM reduced the number of insecticide sprays by nearly half, resulting in a savings of US $2.6 million. Recent advances in biocontrol, biotechnology, host plant resistance, and monitoring of pest populations will contribute to superior IPM practices in the future. Two issues of ongoing concern are competition from vested interests and, in some cases, lack of necessary biological information and resources to educate clients. Dedicated to advancing the principles of IPM to policy makers and to countries throughout the world, the developers of this text have a mission to promote sound biological applications to pest management. This well-referenced book, which includes Web sites, presents a rationale for all practitioners of IPM to continue improving their profession. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. R. Frederiksen emeritus, Texas A&M University