Techniques for Reducing Pesticide Use

This book outlines the techniques for reducing pesticide use internationally through using integrated pesticide management, and assesses the resulting environmental and economic benefits. The goal of the book is to focus on reducing pesticide use, not eliminating it, in order to maintain yields and current cosmetic food standards and provide a sustainable agriculture.Schadinsekten, Pflanzenkrankheiten und Unkräuter zerstören fast 40 Prozent der Nahrungsmittelproduktion - und das trotz der jährlichen Anwendung von 2.5 Millionen Tonnen Pestiziden! Ein sinnvoller Einsatz der Pestizide kann den ökonomischen Nutzen erhöhen und dabei Gesundheit und Umwelt schonen. Dieses Buch erläutert die verfügbaren Techniken der Schadensbekämpfung für Landwirtschaftsberater, Regierungsbeamte, Wissenschaftler und die Öffentlichkeit und hilft so, den Einsatz von Pestiziden ohne wirtschaftlichen Schaden zu verringern. Partial table of contents:

Pest Management in Agriculture (D. Pimentel).

Environmental Ethics and Pesticide Use (H. Lehman).

Environmental and Socio-Economic Costs of Pesticide Use (D. Pimentel & A. Greiner).

Host-Plant Resistance to Insect Pests (H. van Emden).

What is Durable Resistance?

A General Outline (J. Parlevliet).

Benefits of Minimum Pesticide Use in Insect and Mite Control in Orchards (T. Edland).

IPM Practices for Reducing Fungicide Use in Field Crops (K. Bailey).

IPM Techniques for Greenhouse Crops (J. Grant).

Index. Pest Management in Agriculture;
Pests, Pesticides, and the Environment;
Environmental Ethics and Pesticide Use;
Environmental and Socio-Economic Costs of Pesticide Use;
Pesticide Use in Swedish Agriculture;
The Case of a 75% Reduction;
Role of Biological Control and Transgenic Crops in Reducing Use of Chemical Pesticides for Crop Protection;
Host Plant Resistance to insect Pests;
Disease Resistance in Plants;
What is Durable Resistance, A General Outline; \benefits of Minimum Pesticide Use in Insect and Mite Control in Orchards;
Cultural Controls for Crop Diseases;
Cultural Controls for Weeds;
IPM Practices for Reducing Use in US Field Crops;
IPM Techniques for Reducing Fungicide Use in Field Crops;
IPM Practices for Reducing Insecticide in US Fruit Crops;
IPM Practices for Reducing Fungicide Use in Fruit Crops;
Reducing Insecticide, Fungicide, and Herbicide Use on Vegetables and Reducing Herbicide Use on Fruit Crops;
IPM Techniques for Greenhouse Crops;
Environmental Aspects of 'Cosmetic Standards' of Foods and Pesticides.

David Pimentel is the author of Techniques for Reducing Pesticide Use: Economic and Environmental Benefits, published by Wiley. Techniques for Reducing Pesticide Use Economic and Environmental Benefits Edited by David Pimentel Cornell University, USA Pest insects, plant pathogens, and weeds destroy approximately 40% of all potential food production worldwide. This major food loss occurs despite the application of 2.5 million tons of pesticides at a cost of more than $25 billion each year. Pesticides provide many important benefits in pest control, returning about $4 for every $1 invested. However, this cost/benefit ratio does not include the annual environmental and public health costs of using pesticides which include 3 million human poisonings and 220,000 deaths annually worldwide. With more than 2 billion people malnourished in the world, a major effort is required to reduce the continuing 40% loss of crops to pests. With a relatively small investment in research and extension, this crop destruction can be reduced. Technologies now exist to reduce pesticide use by at least 50%, without reducing crop yields or substantially altering the 'cosmetic standards' of fresh fruit and vegetables. Reducing pesticide use will lower the economic costs of pest control, protect public health, and improve the stability of the natural environment. The various pest management techniques available are discussed in all chapters of this book. It will help governmental leaders, scientists and the public to understand that many strategies, if implemented, will improve pest management, maintain crop yields, and reduce pesticide use.