Biological Control in Plant Protection

Despite great current interest in the subject, and its importance to growers and scientists alike, books on biological pest control are still uncommon and mostly unsatisfactory (we have referenced the best of these). Several make passing reference to a few common beneficial organisms, but most are concerned with the pest species and the plant damage they cause. In this brief volume we have tried to go some way towards rectifying this situation. Developing from an idea expressed to us by Dr Paul Jepson, now at Oregon State University, the aim has been to produce a handbook containing profiles and colour photo - graphs of as many examples of biological control organisms representative of as wide a global area as possible. Each profile is divided into four sections: species characteristics, including organism size, host food and closely related species; life cycle; crop/pest associations; and influences on growing practices. The section on crop/pest associations describes how and when the organism attacks its prey, the crops and environments in which it is likely to be found, and whether it is com - mercially available. The section on the influence on growing practices completes each profile by summarizing how growers can make best use of these natural enemies, and often makes mention of harmful, safe and IPMcompatible pesticides. Although all the organisms occur naturally in various parts of the world and several are commercially massproduced, many can only be found in their natural environment and usually close to their food sources. We therefore thought that a short section on the pests was essential, since all the natural enemies require a host for their survival. We hope this handbook will be useful to advisers, extension officers, educators and research workers, and to all growers with an eye for the environment, no matter how large or small the area under production. Neil Helyer Kevin Brown Nigel Cattlin