This series originated during a visit of prof. K. G. Mukerji to the CNR Plant Protection Institute at Bari, Italy, in November 2005. Both editors convened to produce a series of five volumes focusing, in a multi-disciplinary approach, on recent advances and achievements in the practice of crop protection and integrated pest and disease management. This fourth Volume deals with management of nematodes parasitic of tree crops, and includes a section on tropical fruit crops and commodities, as well as a second section on tree crops from more temperate areas. The latter also includes a chapter updating the current knowledge about the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. Volume 4 flanks Volume 2 of this IMPD series, which focused on management of vegetable and grain crops nematodes. Nematodes are a very successful, diversified and specialised animal group, present in nature in any ecological niche. Among nematode species, only a reduced number feeds on plants, of which a few species cause severe economic impacts on crop productions. Plant parasitic nematodes represent an important concern for a broad range of agricultural productions and systems, worldwide. This statement explains the attention devoted in last decades to nematodes, and the research and technical efforts invested for their control.

With the current world population growth of 1.2%, the earth can expect to house 9-10 billion people by 2050. Food production, too, must increase to accommodate these numbers. Easy growing, high calorie, nutritious foods, such as bananas are the top priority as a solution to this imminent problem. The first comprehensive compendium on bananas in rec

Covering all aspects of practical plant nematology in subtropical and tropical agriculture, the third edition of this definitive global reference work is fully revised and in full colour throughout. It covers the presence, distribution, symptomology and management of all economically important plant parasitic nematodes damaging the world's major food and cash crops. This includes: rice, cereals, solanum and sweet potatoes (and other root and tuber crops), food legumes, vegetables, peanut, citrus, fruit tree crops, coconut and other palms, coffee, cocoa, tea, bananas, sugarcane, tobacco, pineapple, cotton, other tropical fibres, spices and medicinal plants. New content for this edition includes: A chapter on nematode soil biodiversity and soil health; Reflections on the future impact of nematodes and nematology on food security; The importance of climate change, emerging threats, and new management technologies for large and small subsistence growers; Significant revisions to the IPM chapter and chapters on vegetables, citrus, legumes, tuber crops, cotton, peanut and banana where major advances in nematode management have occurred. This book is highly illustrated, with up-to-date practical guidance on methods of extraction, processing and diagnosing of different plant and soil nematodes and on integrated pest management. It remains an invaluable resource for those studying and working in the area of crop protection.

Plant parasitic nematodes are costly burdens of crop production, causing an estimated US$80 - 118 billion per year in damage to crops. They are associated with nearly every important agricultural crop, and are a significant constraint on global food security. Regulations on the use of chemical pesticides have resulted in growing interest in alternative methods of nematode control. Future changes in climate, cropping systems, food habits, as well as social and environmental factors also affect the options for nematode control. Taking a systematic crop by crop approach, this book: Outlines the economic importance of specific plant parasitic nematode problems on the major food and industrial crops. Presents the state-of-the-art management strategies that have been developed to reduce specific nematode impacts, and outlines their limitations. Contains case studies to illustrate impact in the field. Aims to anticipate future changes in nematode disease pressure that might develop as a result of climate change, and new cropping systems.

This book provides up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of the research and application of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in tropical regions. The first section explores the agro-ecological framework that represents the foundations of IPM, in addition to emerging technologies in chemical and biological methods that are core to pest control in tropical crops. The second section follows a crop-based approach and provides details of current IPM applications in the main tropical food crops (such as cereals, legumes, root and tuber crops, sugarcane, vegetables, banana and plantain, citrus, oil palm, tea, cocoa and coffee) and also fibre crops (such as cotton) and tropical forests.

Research on free-living plants and parasitic nematodes in the soil environment, food security, and nematode-plant interactions is increasing in importance. Plant-nematode interactions heavily impact nutrient availability, crop production, and soil health. The scenarios of work with plant and soil nematodes clarify the primary in-vitro and in-vivo techniques with plant-parasitic free-living soil nematodes. Nematode-Plant Interactions and Controlling Infection illustrates the techniques and recent methodologies as well as the interaction between host and nematodes to achieve nematode invasion in plants. It further investigates the role of the plant in confronting nematodes upon penetration, the challenges that face infected plants to resist nematode invasion, and the risk of transmission of nematodes. Covering topics such as biological control, molecular plant pathology, and organic farming systems, this premier reference source is an essential resource for crop producers, agrochemical professionals, agricultural scientists, botanists, plant breeders, biologists, students and academicians of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

This book provides a timely review of concepts in plant disease management involving microbial soil suppressiveness and organic amendments. Topics discussed include the impact of suppressive soils on plant pathogens and agricultural productivity, the enhancement of soil suppressiveness through the application of compost and the development of disease suppressive soils through agronomic management. Further chapters describe diseases caused by phytopathogens, such as Pythium, Fusarium and Rhizoctonia, interaction of rhizobia with soil suppressiveness factors, biocontrol of plant parasitic nematodes by fungi and soil suppressive microorganisms.

Nematodes are microscopic, eel-like roundworms that can infect humans, animals, and plants and cause serious damage and yield losses in a wide range of crops worldwide. This book includes thirteen chapters that address such topics as diagnosing nematode infections in crops (fruits and horticultural crops), management and biological control of plant-parasitic nematodes, biological indicators of nematodes, and entomopathogenic and marine nematodes. This comprehensive volume is a useful resource for students, teachers, researchers, field workers, and all those interested in and working with nematodes.

In the last ten years there has been an exponential increase in the adoption of high-density farming, which leads to better yield and higher-quality fruits, thus improving the economic return. Handbook of Plum Fruit: Production, Postharvest Science, and Processing Technology covers all the recent advances in plum production, harvesting, handling and processing. Divided into two main parts, the first eight chapters provide insight about preharvest processing of plums, whereas the later chapters discuss the postharvest processing of plums. This book also includes vital chapters on varietal improvement and rootstock breeding, high-density planting, and pollination. After harvesting, plum quality quickly diminishes, mainly due to weight loss, total acidity, loss of firmness, and decay. Key Features: In-depth information on the pre- and postharvest processing of plums Coverage on plum harvesting, handling, and storage practices Plum by-product utilization and potential health benefits Handbook of Plum Fruit provides comprehensive information on recent advances in postharvesting technologies of plum. The health benefits of plum and its products are also addressed. This book will assist horticulturists, agriculturists, pomologists, food scientists and others working in various fruit-processing industries.

Genome sequencing has become a basic tool of plant and animal breeding. Reduced costs have allowed the sequencing of thousands of plant lines or cultivars, leading to previously unobtainable insights into genetic impacts during breeding and generating large numbers of novel candidate breeding genes. This book summarizes the impacts that the genome sequencing revolution has had on agriculture with reference to applications across species and locations. It explains new techniques and their use in understanding epigenetics, breeding and conservation. It is a useful resource for scientists wanting to learn how different fields of agriculture have adapted novel genome sequencing technologies to their requirements, and for those wanting to transfer technologies and lessons learned from one field of agriculture to another. This book is a useful resource for students and researchers in biotechnology, genetics, genomics and breeding.