Plant based Biotechnology has come to represent a means of mitigating the problems of global food security in the twenty first century. Products and processes in agriculture are increasingly becoming linked to science and cutting edge technology, to enable the engineering of what are in effect, designer plants. One of the most successful, non chemical approaches to pest management and disease control, which seeks a solution in terms of using living organisms to regulate the incidence of pests and and pathogens, providing a `natural control' while still maintaining the biological balance with the ecosystem. This volume, describes the various biological agents used to control insect pests of a variety of crops. Readers may also be interested in Volume 1: Crop diseases, Weeds and Nematodes , published in December 2000, ISBN 0-306-46460-8.

Inhalt

1. Parasitic Hymenoptera and Biological Control.- 2. Negative Aspects of Interaction between Host Plant Resistance and Biological Control and its Implication in Integrated Pest Management of Crops.- 3. Nomuraea rileyi - A Potential Mycoinsecticide.- 4. Exploitation of Entomogenous Fungi in Biological Control of Crop Pests.- 5. Biological Control of Aphids by using their Parasitoids.- 6. Pheromone Technology in IPM : Present Scenario and Future Prospects.- 7. Indigenous Pest Suppression.- 8. Status of Biological Control in Rice Insect Pest Management.- 9. Issues in Integrated Pest Management in Rice.- 10. Bioagents and their Exploitation in Management of the American Serpentine Leaf Miner, Lyriomyza trifolii Burgess.- 11. Biological Control of Tea Pests.- 12. Pheromone Technology and Management of Sugarcane Pest Chilo infuscatellus Snell. the Early Shoot Borer : A Case Study.- 13. Biocontrol Agents of Sugarcane Pests : Their Bioecology, Mass Production and Field Application.- 14. Role of Biological Control Agents in Tobacco Insect Pest Management.- 15. Biological Control of Pests of Oil Palm.- 16. Biocontrol Potential and its Exploitation in Coconut Pest Management.- 17. Biological Control of the Coconut Caterpillar Opisina arenosella (Lepidoptera : Xylorictidae) : Achievements and Prospects.- 18. Biological Suppression of Insect Pests on Sorghum.- 19. Exploitation of Biocontrol Potential in the Management of Insect Pests of Pulse Crops.- 20. Biological Control of Pests of Tropical Fruits.- 21. Biological Control of Pests of Vegetable Crops.- 22. Role of Parasitoids in Pest Management in Tasar Culture.- 23. Biological Control of Insect Pests of Small Cardamom.