Fruit & Vegetable Magazine

Features Production Research
New biological control book available

March 27, 2008  By Fruit & Vegetable


Biocontrol agents are becoming
more popular as both the public and regulators recognize the
environmental and human-health risks associated with chemical
pesticides.

Biocontrol agents are becoming more popular as both the public and regulators recognize the environmental and human-health risks associated with chemical pesticides. A new book that compiles nematode research from around the world is helping spread the word about these unique natural pesticides. Nematodes as Biocontrol Agents is the brainchild of Parwinder Grewal, an Ohio State University entomologist based on the Wooster, Ohio campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). The book was released in December 2005 by CABI Publishing, a British-based leading disseminator of research in the life sciences. The 505-page book documents and illustrates major developments in the use of nematodes for the biological control of insects and slugs. It covers the use of three main types of nematodes: insect-parasitic nematodes, slug-parasitic nematodes, and entomophilic nematodes (those that associate with insects for the development of part of their life cycles). Topics include biology, commercial production, formulation and quality control, application technology, strategy, compatibility with agrochemicals, and safety of each of these three nematode groups. The book also examines the application of nematodes in different cropping systems and their efficacy against specific pests. A truly international effort, this volume gathers research by 54 leading biocontrol scientists from 18 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, India, Japan and the United Kingdom. Nematodes as Biocontrol Agents is available through Oxford University Press. For more information, log on to http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/nematodes/, or contact Grewal at (330) 263-3963, grewal.4@osu.edu.

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