Polyphagous pests are primarily agricultural pests that feed on economically important agricultural and horticultural crops of wide taxonomic diversity across the globe. They cause immense damage across different crop varieties owing to their generalist and voracious food habits. The advent of mono-crop culture in a huge area and the massive use of pesticides post green revolution have massively increased pest outbreaks all over the world. The Middle Eastern countries, African continent and even the Indian subcontinent is increasingly facing resurgences of polyphagus pests. This book compiles an inclusive account of polyphagous pests. It covers locusts, termites, aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, scale insects, gram pod borer, fall armyworm, thrips, mites and rodents. The book discusses mode of spread, enormity of losses caused, mechanism of action, and also means to reduce the crop losses. It brings together a unique perspective for researchers to learn effective pest management practices across all crops. This book is a reference guide to researchers and also useful for academicians and students of entomology.

This book comprehensively compiles information on some of the major pests that afflict agricultural, horticultural and medicinal crops in particular as well as many polyphagous pests. Not only does this book deal with the pests of common globally produced crops it also addresses those of rarely dealt with crops such as seed spices, medicinal and aromatic plants. While the perspective of insect pests is largely Indian and South East Asian in context, the book does deal with globally problematic pests, particularly polyphagous ones. Not only will the readers be acquainted with the pests, their damaging potential and their life cycle but also with the latest methods of managements including ecofriendly measures being employed to keep pest populations at manageable levels. The 27 chapters in the book, are grouped into four sections primarily based on crop types, viz. pest of agricultural, horticultural and medicinal crops, and polyphagous pests, making the book easy to navigate. Each of the chapters is comprehensive and well illustrated and written by academicians who have dedicated their entire lives to the study of a particular crop-pest complex. The final chapter of this book provides an overview on the principles and processes of pest management.

The aim of this thesis was to study the interplay between movement patterns of polyphagous insect herbivores and vegetation heterogeneity within agricultural fields. I examined if and how 1) host plant species, 2) host plant quality, 3) vegetation architecture, and 4) trap crop physical design influence movement patterns of individuals and spatial distribution of populations.

This is a textbook providing basic data about the crop pests and the damage they inflict throughout the tropics and sub-tropics. Each major pest is illustrated by either a line drawing or a photograph, and sometimes the damage can also be seen. A world distribution map is provided for each species. Control measures tend to be general rather than very specific. Most of the pests are insects and mites, but some nematodes, molluscs, birds and mammals are included.

This book comprehensively compiles information on some of the major pests that afflict agricultural, horticultural and medicinal crops in particular as well as many polyphagous pests. Not only does this book deal with the pests of common globally produced crops it also addresses those of rarely dealt with crops such as seed spices, medicinal and aromatic plants. While the perspective of insect pests is largely Indian and South East Asian in context, the book does deal with globally problematic pests, particularly polyphagous ones. Not only will the readers be acquainted with the pests, their damaging potential and their life cycle but also with the latest methods of managements including ecofriendly measures being employed to keep pest populations at manageable levels. The 27 chapters in the book, are grouped into four sections primarily based on crop types, viz. pest of agricultural, horticultural and medicinal crops, and polyphagous pests, making the book easy to navigate. Each of the chapters is comprehensive and well illustrated and written by academicians who have dedicated their entire lives to the study of a particular crop-pest complex. The final chapter of this book provides an overview on the principles and processes of pest management.

This book has been written, primarily due to my own felt need to have a comprehensive text book on the pests of horticultural crops and methods to manage it, in the integrated way. Due to the widespread use of digital color photography and the good resolution that you get in even the basic level digital cameras, it is possible to get good photos. It was thus more of a need to have a text book to teach the UG and PG students, that this book was written. It was also necessary that any practicing field level worker like officers of the state department of Agriculture and commodity boards, and every practicing farmer with an ability to read English text book, should be guided into the basic facts about the pests of crops. It is most likely that most of the information is available in this book itself, as pest of some other crop. It will then be possible to read on the pest in that, and manage the pest effectively using the latest techniques available to the crop management expert.