Breeding Insect Resistant Crops For Sustainable Agriculture

This book reviews and synthesizes the recent advances in exploiting host plant resistance to insects, highlighting the role of molecular techniques in breeding insect resistant crops. It also provides an overview of the fascinating field of insect-plant relationships, which is fundamental to the study of host-plant resistance to insects. Further, it discusses the conventional and molecular techniques utilized/useful in breeding for resistance to insect-pests including back-cross breeding, modified population improvement methods for insect resistance, marker-assisted backcrossing to expedite the breeding process, identification and validation of new insect-resistance genes and their potential for utilization, genomics, metabolomics, transgenesis and RNAi. Lastly, it analyzes the successes, limitations and prospects for the development of insect-resistant cultivars of rice, maize, sorghum and millet, cotton, rapeseed, legumes and fruit crops, and highlights strategies for management of insect biotypes that limit the success and durability of insect-resistant cultivators in the field. Arthropod pests act as major constraints in the agro-ecosystem. It has been estimated that arthropod pests may be destroying around one-fifth of the global agricultural production/potential production every year. Further, the losses are considerably higher in the developing tropics of Asia and Africa, which are already battling severe food shortage. Integrated pest management (IPM) has emerged as the dominant paradigm for minimizing damage by the insects and non-insect pests over the last 50 years. Pest resistant cultivars represent one of the most environmentally benign, economically viable and ecologically sustainable options for utilization in IPM programs. Hundreds of insect-resistant cultivars of rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, cotton, sugarcane and other crops have been developed worldwide and are extensively grown for increasing and/or stabilizing crop productivity. The annual economic value of arthropod resistance genes developed in global agriculture has been estimated to be greater than US$ 2 billion Despite the impressive achievements and even greater potential in minimizing pest- related losses, only a handful of books have been published on the topic of host-plant resistance to insects. This book fills this wide gap in the literature on breeding insect- resistant crops. It is aimed at plant breeders, entomologists, plant biotechnologists and IPM experts, as well as those working on sustainable agriculture and food security.

An excellent reference book for plant breeders and entomologists, Global Plant Genetic Resources for Insect-Resistant Crops combines germplasm preservation with use in insect-resistant crop development and basic research. The contributions of the authors represent the efforts, cooperation, and understanding of world leaders in the conservation and use of global plant genetic resources for sustainable agricultural production. Concepts addressed include dependency of modern agriculture on chemical pest control and applications of biotechnology in use of natural plant genes for insect-resistant crops. Marketing Class Code: 1E, 1G, 9C

Insect pests remain one of the main constraints to food and fiber production worldwide despite farmers deploying a range of techniques to protect their crops. Modern pest control is guided by the principles of integrated pest management (IPM) with pest resistant germplasm being an important part of the foundation. Since 1996, when the first genetically modified (GM) insect-resistant maize variety was commercialized in the USA, the area planted to insect-resistant GM varieties has grown dramatically, representing the fastest adoption rate of any agricultural technology in human history. The goal of our book is to provide an overview on the role insect-resistant GM plants play in different crop systems worldwide. We hope that the book will contribute to a more rational debate about the role GM crops can play in IPM for food and fiber production.

Overexploitation of natural resources and excessive chemicalization of agriculture have led to poor sustainability of farm production. Indiscriminate use of agricultural chemicals has resulted in problems of pest resurgence and development of resistance on the one hand and has posed serious problems of environmental contamination through residues in food chain on the other hand. The importance of achieving food production through the use of ecofriendly sustainable pest management techniques is being realized more and more in the recent past. Eminent scientists from different research institutions have looked into this aspect seriously and have come up with many enlightening suggestions compiled together in this book.

Sorghum is one of the most important cereals in the semi-arid tropics. Nearly 150 insect species have been reported to damage the crop worldwide, causing an estimated loss of over U$1000 million annually. Of these, shoot fly, stem borers, greenbug, sugarcane aphid, shoot bug, spider, mites, armysorms, midge, head bug, and head caterpillars are the major pests. Plant resistance to insects is one of the most important components of pest management in sorghum. Thus, the 18 specialist scientists who have contributed the 25 papers included in the book, that is based on a training course for researchers involved in the development of insect-resistant cultivars for integrated pest management in sustainable agriculture, describe and discuss the theoretical and practical aspects of resistance-screening techniques, mechanisms and inheritance of resistance, breeding for resistance, statistical designs, and strategies for integrated pest management. Information has also been provided about the international sorghum insect resistance testing program and the role of networks in collaborative research and technology exchange.

This book focuses on pests (insect and mite) and diseases (fungal, bacterial, viral and nematode) in protected horticulture (fruits, vegetables and ornamentals) using physical, cultural, chemical, biological, host resistance, and integrated methods. It opens with chapters describing the setting in which integrated pest and disease control operates, i.e., the greenhouse and its environment. Subsequent chapters present the basic strategies and tactics of different control methods including integrated control, with special reference to greenhouse crops. Further chapters include the different facets of biological pest and disease control – its scientific bases, its development in practice, its commercialization and quality control. The concluding chapters of the book highlight the present status of integrated pest and disease control for the most important greenhouse crops (fruits, vegetables and flower crops) worldwide. The book’s final chapter explores future challenges for researchers assigned to identify non-pesticide methods and integrate sustainable pest management technologies that can contribute to increased productivity, such as breeding for durable resistance, biological control and devising integrated methods that will have minimal adverse environmental and social impacts. Among productivity-enhancing technologies, protected cultivation has a tremendous potential to increase the yield of vegetables and flower cro ps by several fold. Pests and diseases are one of the major challenges to protected cultivation. Year-round warm temperatures and relatively high humidity together with abundant food make the protected environment of greenhouses highly attractive to pests and diseases. Nevertheless, very little attention has been paid to the manipulation of greenhouse environments expressly to avoid disease epidemics and insect infestations, which together can easily account for 30% of crop losses. This book will be of immense value to all members of the scientific community involved in teaching, research and extension activities on protected horticulture. It also offers a useful reference guide for policymakers and practicing farmers, and can be used as a textbook for postgraduate courses.

This edited book is a comprehensive collection of information on host plant resistance to insects in major field crops. The focus of the book is to make the audience aware of the latest developments in host plant resistance in major field crops and how it can be used for sustainable pest management solutions. It deals with the insect-plant interactions, plant defence responses to herbivore attacks, plant phenotyping, and breeding for insect resistance. Insects are an important group of biotic stresses that limit crop productivity in many regions of the world. At present, they are largely managed by synthetic insecticides which have their own adverse effects including insecticide resistance, pest resurgence, environmental pollution, and pesticide residues, to name a few. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop alternate pest management strategies that can provide a sustainable solution to pest problems. Host plant resistance is considered an important pest management strategy as it offers an effective, economical, and environmental friendly solution to pest problems. This book is of interest to postgraduate students, crop entomologists, and breeders working on host plant resistance to insect pests. It is also valuable for teachers, researchers, and climate change scientists.The book serves as an additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, ecology, and environmental sciences. Agricultural experts from around the world, as well as policymakers, will also find this book helpful.

This book outlines a new paradigm, “Agro-ecological Intensification of Crop Protection”, which reduces negative impacts on the environment and enhances the provision of ecosystem services. It discusses the use of ecologically based management strategies to increase the sustainability of agricultural production while reducing off-site consequences, highlighting the underlying principles and outlining some of the key management practices and technologies required to implement agro-ecological pest management. It also comprehensively explores important topics like stimulo-deterrent diversion strategy, precision agriculture, plant breeding, nutrient management, habitat management, cultural approaches, cultivar mixtures/multiline cultivars, crop rotation, crop residue management, crop diversity, cover crops, conservation tillage, biofumigation, agro-forestry, and addition of organic matter. This timely book promotes the rapid implementation of this technology in farming community around the globe. It is a valuable resource for the scientific community involved in teaching, research and extension activities related to agro-ecological pest management as well as policymakers and practicing farmers. It can also be used for teaching post-graduate courses.