Biological Control Of Weeds And Plant Diseases

Biological control – utilizing a population of natural enemies to seasonally or permanently suppress pests – is not a new concept. The cottony cushion scale, which nearly destroyed the citrus industry of California, was controlled by an introduced predatory insect in the 1880s. Accelerated invasions by insects and spread of weedy non-native plants in the last century have increased the need for the use of biological control. Use of carefully chosen natural enemies has become a major tool for the protection of natural ecosystems, biodiversity and agricultural and urban environments. This book offers a multifaceted yet integrated discussion on two major applications of biological control: permanent control of invasive insects and plants at the landscape level and temporary suppression of both native and exotic pests in farms, tree plantations, and greenhouses. Written by leading international experts in the field, the text discusses control of invasive species and the role of natural enemies in pest management. This book is essential reading for courses on Invasive Species, Pest Management, and Crop Protection. It is an invaluable reference book for biocontrol professionals, restorationists, agriculturalists, and wildlife biologists. Further information and resources can be found on the Editor’s own website at: www.invasiveforestinsectandweedbiocontrol.info/index.htm

Biological Control in Agricultural IPM Systems covers the proceedings of the 1984 symposium on Biological Control in Agricultural IPM Systems, held in the Citrus Research and Education Center of the University of Florida at Lake Alfred. The symposium summarizes the status and practical use of biological control in agricultural integrated pest management (IPM) systems in the United States. The book is organized into seven parts encompassing 31 chapters that cover the biological control of arthropods, weeds, plant pathogens, and nematodes. After briefly discussing the status and issues of biological control in IPM, the book deals with the basic principles of IPM programs and their related costs, risks, and benefits in biological control. The text also describes the compatibility of plant resistance with biological control of arthropods and the chemical mediated host or prey selection behaviors of entomophagous insects attacking herbivorous insect pests. It explains the development of microbial insecticides; the genetic improvement of insect pathogens; the use of entomogenous nematodes in cryptic and soil habitats; and the techniques for integrating the influences of natural enemies into models of crop/pest systems. The fourth part of the book focuses on the biological control of weeds. The following part considers the general concepts relating to the unique characteristics of plant diseases affecting aerial plant parts. This part also examines the biological control of soil plant pathogens in IPM systems and the use of soilborne viruses, bacteriocins, and hypovirulent strains of fungi as biological control agents. The concluding parts describe the biological control of nematodes and the status and limits to biological control in selected commodity IPM systems, such as citrus, grapes, alfalfa, cotton, and soybean. Entomologists, plant pathologists, weed scientists, nematologists, toxicologists, and economists will find this book invaluable.

Insects, pests and weeds are responsible for substantial loss of crops and reduced food supplies, poorer quality of agricultural products, economic hardship for growers and processor. Generally, chemical control methods are neither always economical nor are they effective and may have associated unwanted health, safety and environmental risks. Biological control involves use of beneficial biological agents to control pests and offers an environmental friendly approach to the effective management of plant diseases and weeds. The chapters are written by well recognized group leaders in the field. This book provides a comprehensive account of interaction of host and pests, and development of biological control agents for practical applications in crops management utilizing inherent defence mechanism, induced stimulation and biological control agents. The contents are divided into the following sections: General biology of plant defence, Use of natural compounds for biological control, Use of biological agents, Mechanism of action and Commercial aspects. The book will be useful for academicians, researcher and industries involved in study and manufacturing these products.

Biological balance. The biological world. Attributes of a successful parasite. Types of biological interactions. Man, the disrupter of balance. The changing scene. Factors involved in biological control. A plant pathologist's definition of biological control. Comparative approaches to biological control of plant pathogens and insects. Applying biological control. Biological control in plant pathology. The stature of biological control of plant pathogens. Resident antagonists. Managing the biological balance. Biological control by resident organisms and introduced organisms. Host resistance. Ecological manipulation to control weed molds and pathogens of mushrooms. Approaches to biological control with antagonistic microorganisms. Selecting soil as a source of antagonists. Antagonistic populations of whole soils. Presumptive tests of antagonists in agar culture. Tests in soil. Testing mixtures of antagonists. Plant of action. Role of the pathogen in biological control. Ways the pathogen can overcome antagonism. Vulnerability during dormancy and saprophytic growth. Populations of soilborne pathogenic fungi that produce disease. Stimulation of antagonists by the pathogen. Control of nematodes by altering the sex ratio. Role of the antagonist in biological control. Biological efficiency of saprophytic organisms. Kinds of antagonists. Forms of antagonism. The ideal antagonist. Inoculation with avirulent organisms related to the pathogen. Recontamination of soil. Biological buffering by resident antagonists. Role of the host in biological control. Root dynamics. Physical and chemical features of the rhizosphere. Root exudation and the rhizosphere effect. Cropping history and the microbiological balance of soil. Plant residues. The host as a reservoir of inoculum. Decoy, trap, and inhibitory plants. Role of the physical environment in biological control. environment operative through the host and during dormancy of the pathogen. Environment operative during growth of the pathogen. Using environment for prediction. Using environment to nudge the biological balance. Integration between biological and chemical control. Biological control of pathogens of aerial parts. Microorganisms on aerial parts. Pathogens on aerial parts. Exudation to external surfaces. Natural dissemination of epiphytes. Whither biological control?. Stage in pathogen cycle to apply biological control. Agroecosystems in relation to biological control. Applying, activating, or assisting antagonists. Large-scale production of antagonists. Integrated control. Why biological control?. The role of biological control in plant pathology.

It is appropriate at this time to reflect on two decades of research in biological control of weeds with fungal plant pathogens. Some remarkable events have occurred in the last 20 years that represent a flurry of activity far beyond what could reasonably have been predicted. In 1969 a special topics review article by C. L. Wilson was published in Annual Reviews of Phytopathology that examined the literature and the potential for biological control of weeds with plant pathogens. In that same year, experiments were conducted in Arkansas that determined whether a fungal plant pathogen could reduce the infestation of a single weed species in rice fields. In Florida a project was under way to determine the potential use of a soil-borne plant pathogen as a means for controlling a single weed species in citrus groves. Work in Australia was published that described experiments that sought to determine whether a pathogen could safely and deliberately be imported and released into a country to control a weed of agricultural importance. All three projects were successful in the sense that Puccinia chondrillina was released into Australia to control rush skeleton weed and was released later into the United States as well, and that Colletotrichum gloeosporioides f.sp. aeschynomene and Phytophthora palmivora were later both marketed for the specific purpose of controlling specific weed species.

Bundeling van artikelen van onderzoekers uit Groot-Brittannie, Australie en de V.S. betreffende de biologische bestrijding van en door schimmels. Aandacht wordt besteed aan de bestrijding van insekten, onkruiden, ziekteverwekkers en aaltjes; technieken van massaproduktie van insektenetende schimmels; de mogelijkheden met genetische manipulatie bij schimmels; en de mogelijkheden van schimmels in de geintegreerde gewasbescherming A collection of articles on the biological control of plant pests with fungi, the mass production of fungi and the possibilitie of fungi in integrated pest control