Advances in biostimulants as an integrated pest management tool in horticulture

This chapter covers the definition of biostimulants, brief summary of various categories, and how they are used for promoting plant growth, building soil structure, imparting stress tolerance, and contribute to pest and disease suppression. Strategies for using biostimulants as a part of IPM and some challenges and future opportunities were also discussed.

Nosemosis Prevention and Control

Nosemosis is a serious microsporidian disease of adult European honey bees caused by the spore-forming unicellular fungi Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. In this paper we describe the currently known techniques for nosemosis prevention and control including Good Beekeeping Practices (GBPs) and biosecurity measures (BMBs). Topics such as queen renewal, nosema-resistant bees and hygienic and control methods are described. Strong efforts are currently provided to find more a sustainable solution than the use of antibiotics. So far, it seems that the best way to approach nosemosis is given by an “integrated pest management strategy”, which foresees the contemporary application of different, specific GBPs and BMBs.

Detection of bifenthrin, bifenazate, etoxazole resistance in Tetranychus urticae collected from mint fields and hop yards using targeted sequencing and TaqMan approaches

Tetranychus urticae (Koch) is an economically important pest of many agricultural commodities in the Pacific Northwest. Multiple miticides are currently registered for control including abamectin, bifenazate, bifenthrin, and extoxazole. However, populations of Tetranychus urticae have developed miticide resistance through multiple mechanisms, in many different growing regions. Producers of agricultural commodities where Tetranychus urticae infestations are problematic rely on integrated pest management tools to determine optimal control methods. Within this species multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms have been documented in different genes which are associated with miticide resistance phenotypes. The detection of these mutations through TaqMan qPCR has been suggested as a practical, quick, and reliable tool to inform agricultural producers of miticide resistance phenotypes present within their fields and have potential utility for making appropriate miticide application and integrated pest management decisions. Within this investigation we examined the use of a TaqMan qPCR-based approach to determine miticide resistance genotypes in field-collected populations of Tetranychus urticae from mint fields and hop yards in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and confirmed the results with a multiplex targeted sequencing. The results suggest the TaqMan approach accurately genotypes Tetranychus urticae populations collected from agricultural fields. The interpretation of the results, however, provide additional challenges for integrated pest management practitioners, including making miticide application recommendations where populations of Tetranychus urticae are a mix of resistant and wildtype individuals.

Pest management in cotton: a global perspective

This book contains 14 chapters presenting a global overview of the background to, and the current state of crop protection and pest management in cotton crops. It shows the need for more research to select cotton cultivars with high quality fibres suitable for different cotton growing areas and develop integrated pest management strategies to minimize the use of pesticides.

A look forward.

This chapter focuses on different management practices in growing cotton, including the use of genetically modified varieties, pesticide application, crop rotation, spacing, irrigation, weed control, integrated pest management and organic farming.