Biological insecticides are competing more and more with traditional chemical pesticides. A successful application of natural pathogens requires a better understanding of both fungal and insect ecology and physiology. This Atlas provides a comprehensive overview of these fields and includes the taxonomy of those species of fungi which are proven pathogens. Biotechnological methods for the genetic modification of these natural pathogens resulting in further optimization and the advantages of biological control are discussed.

Frontiers of Industrial Mycology describes the present efforts underway to create a broad range of large-scale applications using filamentous fungi. Important and environmentally sound applications currently being developed include the use of fungi for novel *B-lactams in antibiotic production, biobleaching and the bioconversion of wood pulp, agricultural biotechnology for creating biological insecticides and herbicides, food fermentations, and the commercial raising of shiitake mushrooms, a growing and largely untapped market in North America. The topics discussed in this volume are on the cutting edge of industrial mycology. This book will thus benefit a wide range of professionals and academics in biotechnology, mycology, microbiology, plant science, entomology, and biochemistry.

Understanding of the ecology of fungal entomopathogens has vastly increased since the early 1800’s, but remains challenging. The often complex interactions between pathogen and host are being unravelled through eloquent research and the importance of the often subtle interactions, in determining the success or failure of biological control, cannot be underplayed. The realm of ecology is vast and deciphering insect-fungal pathogen interactions within an ecological context will take us on voyages beyond our imagination. This book brings together the work of renowned scientists to provide a synthesis of recent research on the ecology of fungal entomopathogens exploring host-pathogen dynamics from the context of biological control and beyond. Dr. Helen Roy leads zoological research in the Biological Records Centre at the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK. The focus of her research is insect community interactions with particular emphasis on the effects of environmental change. She has been working on the ecological interactions between fungal entomopathogens and their hosts for 15 years; this continues to be a source of fascination. She has been an associate editor of BioControl since 2006. Dr. Dave Chandler is an insect pathologist at the University of Warwick, UK. He has studied entomopathogenic fungi for just over 20 years. He has particular interests in entomopathogenic fungi as biocontrol agents of horticultural crops, fungal physiology and ecology, and the pathogens of honeybees. Dr. Mark Goettel is an insect pathologist at the Lethbridge Research Centre of Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, specializing in the development of fungal entomopathogens as microbial control agents of insects. In addition to this research, he has been extensively involved in the review and revision of the regulations for registration of microbial control agents and has addressed regulatory and safety issues at the international level. He is currently President of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology and has been Editor-in-Chief of Biocontrol Science & Technology since 2000. Dr. Judith K. Pell heads the Insect Pathology Group in the Department for Plant and Invertebrate Ecology at Rothamsted Research, UK. She leads research on the ecology of fungal entomopathogens, to elucidate their role in population regulation and community structure and to inform biological control strategies. Specifically: intraguild interactions; the relationships between guild diversity, habitat diversity and ecosystem function; pathogen-induced host behavioural change. Dr. Eric Wajnberg is a population biologist specialising in behavioural ecology, statistical modelling and population genetics. He is also an expert in biological control, with more than 20 years experience of working with insect parasitoids. He has been the Editor in Chief of BioControl since 2006. Dr. Fernando E. Vega is an entomologist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, in Beltsville, Maryland, USA. He conducts research on biological methods to control the coffee berry borer, the most important insect pest of coffee throughout the world. He is co-editor, with Meredith Blackwell, of Insect-Fungal Associations: Ecology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press in 2005, and serves as an Editorial Board Member for Fungal Ecology.

Biological control is among the most promising methods for control of pests, diseases and weeds, and this book treats ecological and societal aspects together for the first time. The aim is to evaluate the significance of certain biological properties like biodiversity and natural habitats. In a societal approach terms like ‘consumer’s attitude’, ‘risk perception’, ‘learning and education’ and ‘value triangle’ are recognized as significant for biological production and human welfare.

Of the nearly one million known species of insects, about 15,000 species are considered pests and about 300 require some form of control. Fortunately, most insect pests have pathogenic microorganisms associated with them. There are two aspects of economic problems caused by insects.One concerns the loss of production that results from damage to crops and to the health of human and domestic animals, the other concerns the cost of attempt to prevent or control such production loses. At the same time with increasing agriculture, insects become more and more important competitors of human food damaging or even destroyingthe crops. Mosquitoes and black flies are a constant threat to health and comfort, yet the chemical pesticides used to control them have created serious ecological problems. Environmental and health concerns about the application of chemical insecticides to reduce large-scale insect pest infestations have led to renewed interest in the development of microbial agents for incorporation into integrated pest management strategies for the control of acridids.

Currently, the major challenge of humanity is focused on population growth through agricultural production in order to meet the demand for food. The food crunch is mainly due to pest and disease. Traditional methods, synthetic insecticides and microbicides cause health hazards to human beings, domestic animals and also affect our immediate environments. Serious concerns were implemented by both developing and developed countries as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Bio-intensive Integrated Pest Management (BIPM) systems where biopesticides play an important role worldwide. The available books are limited to particular aspects of biopesticides. Hence, it is imperative to bring out a holistic documentation which will provide the reader information on all aspects of biopesticides. The book consists of five sections namely microbials, botanicals, natural enemies semio- chemicals and biotechnology and equipments, bioinformatics tools and IPM. In Section I, microbial deals with utilization of Bacillus in control of phytonematodes; biological control of pest and diseases with fluorescent pseudomonads, entomopathogenic fungus and entomopathogenic nematodes in pest management, microbial viral insecticides and microbial elicitors to induce immunity for plant disease control in chilli and tomato. Importance of plant essential oils, botanicals in endocrine disruption, relevance of botanicals and use of plant volatile on pest management has been discussed in Section II. Importance and role of reduviidae, weaver ants, ground beetles, Odonatas, spiders in biological control has been discussed in Section III. In addition, genetic improvement of biocontrol agents for sustainable pest management has also been highlighted. In Section IV, classical practices and pheromone, kairomonal enhancement to natural enemies and use of transgenic plants in insect control are highlighted. Equipment and their application methodologies for application of biopesticides; relevance of bioinformatics in biopesticides management; pest management of soybean, bio fouling and eco friendly antifoulants have been highlighted in Section V. Each chapter has objectives and conclusion along with recommendations.

There is increasing interest in the use of fungi for the control of pests, weeds and diseases. This book brings together perspectives from pathology, ecology, genetics, physiology, production technology, to address the use of fungi as biological control agents.

Sound formulation is a vital aspect of microbial products used to protect plants from pests and diseases and to improve plant performance. Formulation of Microbial Biopesticides is an in-depth treatment of this vitally important subject. Written by experts and carefully edited, this important title brings together a huge wealth of information for the first time within the covers of one book. The book is broadly divided into five sections, covering principles of formulation, organisms with peroral and contact modes of action, organisms with the power of search, and future trends. Each section contains comprehensive chapters written by internationally acknowledged experts in the areas covered; the book also includes three very useful appendices, cataloguing formulation additives, spray application criteria and terminology. This outstanding book is a vitally important reference work for anyone involved in the formulation of microbial biopesticides and should find a place on the shelves of agriculture and plant scientists, microbiologists and entomologists working in academic and commercial agrochemical situations, and in the libraries of all research establishments and companies where this exciting subject is researched, studied or taught.

This text presents an up-to-date account of the soft-scale insects, "Coccidae", and covers almost the entire spectrum of the knowledge of this insect family. It is divided into three sections, covering: soft scale insects; their natural enemies; and damage and control.