Pests cause economic damage to crops and stored products, while vectors are responsible for the transmission of disease-causing agents in human beings and livestock. Although the application of synthetic pesticides in agriculture has given immediate relief, it has also caused well-known side effects, leading to a general consensus among entomologists and agriculturists to shift towards other ecofriendly pest management. Insect natural enemies consisting of predators, parasitoids, and pathogens have attracted the attention of scientists across the globe. These natural enemies exist in agroecosystems and suppress the populations of pests. Parasitoids are farmers’ friends and the most successful group of natural enemies. Highly specialised in their host choice, the female parasitoid searches for a suitable host to lay eggs and larvae in, on or near the hosts. Exploiting this potency of parasitoids may yield successful results in controlling notorious pests in an ecofriendly way.
This book covers information on the important biocontrol agents effective in pest suppression. It starts with insect parasitic groups followed by specific groups of parasitoids. It is hoped that the book presents a comprehensive account of beneficial parasitoirds, and will be useful to undergraduate and postgraduate students of Entomology, Biological Control, Plant Protection, Agricultural Zoology, and Zoology, besides those involved in competitive examinations and policy planning.
Features:
- Each chapter has been written by very experienced specialists
- Every chapter includes Learning Objectives and Points to Remember
- This book offers comprehensive knowledge of parasitoids and their application in pest management in a rational way
1. Insect Parasitoids- Mani Chellappan and M.T. Ranjith
Introduction, Order: Diptera: Family: Cecidomyiidae, Family: Nemestrinidae, Family: Bombyliidae, Family: Asilidae, Family: Phoridae, Family: Pipunculidae, Family: Tachinidae, Family: Sarcophagidae, Order: Coleoptera: Family: Carabidae, Family: Scarabidae, Family: Rhipiceridae, Family: Cleridae, Family: Rhipiphoridae, Family: Meloidae, Family: Passandridae, Family: Bothrideridae, Family: Curculionidae, Order: Lepidoptera: Family: Epipyropidae, Family: Cyclotornidae, Order: Hymenoptera: Family: Braconidae, Family: Ichneumonidae, Family: Mymaridae, Family: Trichogrammatidae, Family: Eulophidae, Family: Elasmidae, Family: Pteromalidae, Family: Encyrtidae, Family: Aphelindae, Family: Eupelmidae, Family: Chalcididae, Family: Eurytomidae, Family: Torymidae, Family: Ormyridae, Family: Leucopsidae, Family: Euchartidae, Family: Perilampidae, Family: Signiphoridae, Family: Eucoilidae, Family: Figitidae, Family: Platygatseridae, Family: Scelonidae, Family: Bethylidae, Order: Neuroptera: Family: Mantispidae, Conclusions, Points to Remember, References
2. Ichneumonid Parasitoids- Longjam Roni Kumar Singh, Devanshu Gupta, and Kailash Chandra
Introduction, Systematic Account, Life History, Biological Control Utilizing Ichneumonidae, Subfamilies of Indian Ichneumonidae, Mass Rearing, Conclusions, Points to Remember, References
3. Braconid Parasitoids- Ankita Gupta
Introduction, Diagnosis and Key Characters, Classification- Subfamily and Tribes, List of Subfamilies and Tribes Reported from India, Molecular Characterisation and Phylogeny, Morphological and Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of the Genus Glyptapanteles, Biodiversity and Species Richness, Sexual Dimorphism. Biology, Braconid Parasitoids of Recent Invasive Pest, Immature Taxonomy, Integrative Taxonomy, Taxonomic Problems, Economic Importance, Collection and Preservation Techniques,Workers on Indian Fauna, Conclusions, Points to Remember, References
4. Aphidiinae Parasitoids (Braconidae: Hymenoptera)- Bidhan Chandra Das and Samiran Chakrabarti
Introduction, Diversity and Zoogegraphical Distribution, Fossil Aphidiines, Collection, Rearing and Identification, Biology, Foraging, Hyperparasitoids, Diapause, Host Parasitoid Relationship, Population Dynamics, Effective Aphidiine Biocontrol Agents, Mass Rearing, Constraints of Using Aphidiines in Biocontrol, Conclusions, Points to Remember, Acknolwedgments, References
5. Pteromalid Parasitoids-Arvind Kumar, Aishwarya Ray, and Meena Agnihotri
Introduction, Identifications Features, Brief History and Systematic Position, Diversity of Pteromalidae, Biology, Effective Biocontrol Agents, Mass Rearing, Conclusions, Points to Remember, References
6. Encyrtid Parasitoids-P.S. Shera, Sudhendu Sharma, Prasun Karmakar, and Sudhir Singh
Introduction, Systematic Position, India, Characteristics of Encyrtidae, Biology, Effective Encyrtid Biocontrol Agents, Mass Rearing of Important Encyrtid Parasitoids, Case Studies, Conclusions, Points to Remember, References
7. Chalcidoid Parasitoids- P. M. Sureshan and P. Girish Kumar
Introduction, Diversity and Distribution of Chalcids, Common and Effective Parasitoids and Their Hosts, Characteristics of Effective Biocontrol Agents, Rearing Techniques, Mass Production and Field Application, Threat and Conservation Status, Conclusions, Points to Remember, References
8. Eulophid Parasitoids- Meena Agnihotri, J. M. Samraj, and Arvind Kumar
Introduction, Basic Characters for Identification, Diversity and Biology, History of Eulophid Research, Taxonomic Position of Eulophidae, Studies on Eulophid Fauna of the World, Eulophid Research in India, Exploration of Eulophids as Biocontrol Agents, Host Parasitoid Index of Eulophid Parasitoids in India, Mass Rearing of Important Eulophid Parasitoids, Successful Biocontrol Agents, Conclusions, Points to Remember, References
9. Trichogrammatid Parasitoids-Omprakash Navik, Richa Varshney, Y. Lalitha, and S. K. Jalali,
Introduction, Systematics, History and Classification, Size and Distribution, Diversity and Host Range, Biology, Ecology and Behavior, Geographical Strains of Trichogrammatids, Improvement of Trichogrammatids, Mass Production and Biological Control, Release Strategies of Trichogrammatids, Conclusions, Points to Remember, References
10. Scelionid Parasitoids- K Rajmohana and Sunita Patra
Introduction, Characteristics of Scelionidae, Diversity of Scelionidae, Biology, Effective Scelionid Biocontrol Agents, Scelionids in Biocontrol Programs, Conclusions, Points to Remember, References
11. Aphelinid Parasitoids- Mani Chellappan and M.T. Ranjith
Introduction, Distribution and Diversity, Biology, Hosts of Aphelinid Parasitoids, Important Parasitoids, Mass Production, Role in Biological Control, Field Release Across the Globe, Success Stories, Conclusions, Points to Remember, References
12. Beneficial Diptera-Dhriti Banerjee, Atanu Naskar, and Jayita Sengupta
Introduction, Phylogeny and Classification, Habits and Habitat, Ecosystem Services, Life Cycle and Developmental Stages, Feeding Behaviour, Carnivory in Diptera: Predators, Parasites and Parasitoids, Evolution of Carnivory in Diptera, Diptera Predators, Diptera Parasitoids, Biology of Diptera Parasitoids, Rearing, Mass Production, and Field Application of Diptera Parasitoids, In-vivo Rearing Technique, In-vitro Rearing Technique, Adult Rearing and Management, Storage and Transportation of Reared Flies, The Future of Dipterans as Biocontrol Agents, Conclusion. Points to Remember, References
Biography
Prof. Omkar, FNASc, has been associated with teaching for about 35 years and research for more than 42 years. He is Former Head, Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow-226007, Former Coordinator, UGC-SAP (DRS-II), DST-FIST, DST-PURSE, Centre of Excellence, Govt. of UP, programs. He has worked on 10 more projects of state/central funding agencies. He specializes in Environmental Toxicology and Entomology, with particular reference to the Insect Pest Management. He is Chief Editor, Journal of Applied Bioscience, and President, International Society of Applied Biology.
"With the ever-increasing shift in agricultural paradigms from extensive use of insecticides to safer alternatives, interest in biocontrol options in integrated pest management (IPM) programs continues to grow. In this volume specialists provide a broad overview of the role of insect parasitoids in IPM. For each insect group considered as prospective biocontrol agent, the authors draw attention to taxonomy, natural history, host specificities, and management practices (e.g., mass rearing, dissemination, efficacy). The extent of discussion varies from group to group, depending on what is known about a particular taxon. This is an interesting and valuable text that will be of considerable importance to ecologists, conservationists, agriculturalists, and entomologists working in pest management. This is a companion volume to Insect Predators in Pest Management, also edited by Omkar (2023)."
--D. A. Brass, independent scholar, Choice March 2024
