Ecofriendly Pest Management for Food Security explores the broad range of opportunity and challenges afforded by Integrated Pest Management systems. The book focuses on the insect resistance that has developed as a result of pest control chemicals, and how new methods of environmentally complementary pest control can be used to suppress harmful organisms while protecting the soil, plants, and air around them. As the world's population continues its rapid increase, this book addresses the production of cereals, vegetables, fruits, and other foods and their subsequent demand increase. Traditional means of food crop production face proven limitations and increasing research is turning to alternative means of crop growth and protection. - Addresses environmentally focused pest control with specific attention to its role in food security and sustainability. - Includes a range of pest management methods, from natural enemies to biomolecules. - Written by experts with extensive real-world experience.

The search for new strategies of pest control with safer molecules is currently of great importance and interest. Microbe-mediated biological crop protection is an attractive and promising technology with no concern for a negative impact on the environment and biodiversity. Microbial hydrolytic enzymes such as proteases, chitinases, lipases, etc. are attractive for this purpose. They present toxic properties and act synergistically to control pest attacks. Also, some metabolites, that microorganisms produce for their survival or defense, can be explored and exploited for plant protection. The focus of this Volume is on the potential of microbial hydrolytic enzymes and their metabolites in agroecosystem functioning. Subsequent chapters review topics such as microbial hydrolytic enzymes as powerful management tools, chitinases in IPM of agro-horticultural crops, metabolites as pesticides and the importance of the metabolites of entomopathogenic fungi, metabolites and virulence factors. Other topicas include: microbial-based nanoparticles, recombinant DNA technologies to improve the efficacy of microbial insecticides, the effects of entomopathogens on insect predators and parasitoids, and the management of major vegetable insect pests. This Volume provides detailed accounts on the safe use of microbial products for sustainable management of insect pests. Its aim is to build solid foundations for the students, teachers, and researchers interested in eco-friendly management of important insect crop pests.

This Volume comprises 14 chapters in an attempt to provide the reader with available information on safe and effective use of entomopathogens. Chapters in this book dealing with soil-borne entomopathogens and their phylogeny also provide a review on most updated information of their isolation and molecular identification. Employing fungal pathogens in biological control programmes plays a key role, and conidial thermotolerance and oxidative stress are examined in separate chapters. Entomopathogenic bacteria are able to kill their hosts quickly. An important contribution concerns informations provided upon bacterial cytotoxic factors on insect haemocytes. Nematodes are biological control agents safe to the environment. The information with respect to their direct and indirect effects on non-target organisms is provided. Viruses as highly specific, virulent candidates for use as biological insecticides are safe to non-target species. A separate chapter on the role of granuloviruses in IPM contributes a wealth of information. Biopesticides in combination with synthetic insecticides are reported as effective, economic, and eco-friendly. Understanding their interactions will certainly promote their uses. Finally, emphasis has been given on reviewing synergistic and antagonistic interactions of microbial and chemical pesticides, in other chapters.

This book ​presents an introduction to the concept and need of sustainable agriculture, the mechanisms of conventional and controlled release of pesticides, herbicides and plant hormones. It also contains the carriers which supply controlled release including polymers and nanoparticles. A full chapter is devoted to the theory and simulation aspects.

This book provides a systematic review of nature-based solutions and their potential to address current environmental challenges. In the 21st century, society is faced by rapid urbanisation and population growth, degradation and loss of natural capital and associated ecosystem services, an increase in natural disaster risks, and climate change. With growing recognition of the need to work with ecosystems to resolve these issues there is now a move towards nature-based solutions, which involve utilising nature’s ecosystem to solve societal challenges while providing multiple co-benefits. This book systematically reviews nature-based solutions from a public policy angle, assessing policy developments which encourage the implementation of nature-based solutions to address societal challenges while simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. This includes enhancing sustainable urbanisation, restoring degraded ecosystems, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and reducing risks from natural disasters. While nature-based solutions can be applied strategically and equitably to help societies address a variety of climatic and non-climatic challenges, there is still a lack of understanding on how best to implement them. The book concludes by providing a best practice guide for those aiming to turn societal challenges into opportunities. This book will be of great interest to policymakers, practitioners and researchers involved in nature-based solutions, sustainable urban planning, environmental management, and sustainable development generally.

Green chemistry is a vital subject playing a key role in environmental sustainability. Despite its importance, very little has been explored in the past years. This book is a comprehensive compilation of the methods, techniques and strategies used in green chemistry. The book highlights some critical aspects of green chemistry related to agriculture and food production. It has been put together for undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students. Each chapter has been cited with new and updated research discoveries to help the postgraduate, and doctorate students and researchers. I hope the presented book will be an important tool for students and researchers.

This book reviews a wide-range of genetically modified (GM) crops to understand how they are produced, the impacts on the agricultural industry, and their potential for improving food security. The production of GM crops has now become an invaluable asset in the agricultural toolbox. With a significant portion of the world suffering from hunger and poverty, this book examines how food security can be achieved through GM crops. A wide variety of crops are examined, from the earliest developments of GM tomatoes and potatoes to recent interest in the development of low-cost, high yielding biofuels, such as microalgae. Chapters also discuss the role of GM crops in pest management and the consequential reduction in the use of insecticides. Overall, this book provides an important synthesis of GM crops from their commercial value to the agricultural industry, as well as their potential for improving food security. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of agricultural engineering, crop science, food biotechology, food security, and those interested in food and agriculture and sustainable development more broadly.

As of 2022, India's population was 1.417 billion. By 2030, the nation is expected to have more than 1.5 billion residents, making it the most populated in the world. Food is one of the most vital resources and there is a considerably larger need for resources now than there ever was due to the expanding population. Even though more than half of India's population works in agriculture, the country is fundamentally an agrarian economy, yet the agriculture industry has long experienced certain difficulties. The agricultural sector, which forms the foundation of the Indian economy, accounts for around 16.5% of the country's GDP. The art and science of cultivating a piece of land producing crops, and rearing livestock is known as agriculture. It gives the world food and textiles. Leather, wool, cotton and wood are other resources provided by agriculture. In India, agriculture is the primary source of income for the vast majority of people and is hence extremely important. Currently, the nation is dealing with second-generation issues, particularly those pertaining to nutrition, sustainability, the uptake of new agricultural technology and possibly most crucially the income levels of the farming-dependent populace. Agriculture is dealing with brand-new, unheard-of difficulties. The necessity for sustainable agriculture is more important than ever in light of the world's expanding population and rising food demand. The goal of this comprehensive reference, "Modern Techniques to Sustainable Agriculture" is to provide readers with up-to-date knowledge on the newest approaches and techniques in the field of sustainable agriculture. It seeks to close the knowledge gap between conventional agricultural methods and the demands of sustainable, eco-friendly agriculture. It is a thorough manual for comprehending and putting into practice sustainable agricultural methods that may feed the globe without depleting natural resources. It is divided into chapters that each cover a particular method or methodology, including a thorough summary, a how-to manual, and examples of successful applications of the method. It covers a wide range of issues that are essential to our agricultural systems' sustainability, from crop rotation and organic farming to precision agriculture and agroforestry. Anyone with an interest in agriculture, be it a student, researcher, policymaker, or farmer, is the target audience for this book. Regardless of your level of experience with the subject, everyone can easily understand the way the material is presented. This book aims to inform as well as motivate a new generation of scholars, farmers, academicians, and policymakers to embrace sustainable farming techniques that will determine the direction of agriculture in the future. The methods in this book have been shown to boost output while reducing environmental effect and are supported by extensive scientific study. We really believe that reading this book will help you better grasp the potential and difficulties that the sustainable agricultural industry faces. But above all, we hope that it will work as a catalyst, inspiring more people to engage in sustainable agriculture. We encourage you, the reader, to use these methods in your own farming endeavors in addition to taking lessons from this book. Share your insights, triumphs, and difficulties with others. By working together, we can make agriculture sustainable in the future. We are grateful that you have joined us on this adventure. Let's work together to create a future in which agriculture serves both the purpose of feeding the world and safeguarding it for future generations.

This book offers a range of environmentally benign molecular mechanisms which are safer alternative strategies for effective insect pest management. In modern era of biotechnology, there has been much advancement in the field of molecular biology, where many more techniques have evolved which can be helpful in the field of pest management too. Plant resistance, development of transgenic plants, and many more techniques are being considered the panacea to pest problems. On the other hand, there are wide spread concerns of the safety of biotechnological interventions with nontarget organisms including humans. While the world stands divided on the ethical issues of these approaches and the many safety concerns, scientists believe that well thought of biotechnological interventions are probably the only safest ways possible for reducing pest attacks on crops. It explores various techniques and aspects related to molecular pathways for crop pest control. This book is a useful resource for postgraduate students and researchers of agriculture sciences, plant pathology and plant physiology. It is also useful for policy planners in agriculture.

In modern crop cultivation, biological control is used primarily for controlling insect pests. The main advantages of bio control technology or biological control are that no artificial substances are added and that pathogens/animals that develop resistance against biological control agents are rare. This approach has no adverse effects on human health or the environment and is self-sustaining. This is a comprehensive, authentic, and standard book on advances in biological control pest management technology, divided in fifteen chapters which deal with significance and importance of biological control in insect pest management, history of biological control, and why do we need it. This book has been crafted to accomplish the needs of undergraduate and postgraduate students of global universities in integrated nematode pest management technology.