December 1996, Volume 17 No. 6

News Book

Ecological IPM

At the request of the US Department of Agriculture and with the support of the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Research Council's Board on Agriculture convened the Committee on Pest and Pathogen Control through Management of Biological Control Agents and Enhanced Natural Cycles to assess the status of knowledge in areas of pesticide application, host resistance and biological control practices, and to chart a future direction. The committee was specifically charged to address the questions: why do we need new pest control methods?; what can we realistically expect from investment in new technologies?; how do we develop effective and profitable pest control systems that rely primarily on ecological processes?; how do we oversee and commercialize biological control organisms and products? This book* is their report.

Given the history of pesticide application, breeding for disease resistance, and integrating biological control practices into production agriculture, the committee came up with one key message: in both science and application, researchers, providers of inputs, and growers must progress from a product based approach to an ecologically based pest management system (EBPM). Management is the key word; pests in most cases cannot be controlled, but must be managed with the objectives of a safe, profitable and durable outcome.

Essentially, the change to EBPM will require a substantial change from the primary practice of product input to the primary mind set of information and management, replacing administration of products to treat symptoms by maximizing natural processes.

The report places major emphasis on the research information needs and on appropriate regulatory oversight. An executive summary presents the findings and key recommendations; chapter 1 describes the history of pest management and the limitations of current practices; chapter 2 details the new approach of EBPM; chapter 3 identifies priority research areas and important institutional changes; and chapter 4 covers regulatory oversight and aspects of risk assessment and management.

The committee sees an opportunity to move beyond IPM into an era in which collaborative efforts break down current barriers among the disciplines, institutions and philosophies to achieve ecologically based solutions to pest management problems.

*Committee on Pest and Pathogen Control through Management of Biological Control Agents and Enhanced Natural Cycles (1996) Ecologically based pest management: new solutions for a new century. Washington, DC; National Academy Press, 144 pp.ISBN 0 309 05330 7, price $45, £28.95.

Biotechnology and IPM

Integrated pest management is seen as an essential part of the effort to feed the world's growing population. Advances in biotechnology can help to make IPM strategies more robust and more sustainable. They can help to generate a more in-depth understanding of local and regional ecosystems, improve the sensitivity and reliability of pest monitoring, and strengthen biologically based control measures, including host plant resistance and biological control agents.

Unfortunately, many within the IPM community seem reluctant to embrace the idea that biotechnology has much to offer, while many within the biotechnology community seem unaware of the needs of IPM programmes. Greater dialogue, constructive interaction and collaborative research between the two groups needs to be encouraged and facilitated. This book* presents the results of one such effort, a conference organized by the World Bank and the Rockerfeller Foundation, with additional financial support from the UN Development Programme and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.

It is the first major volume on the role that biotechnology can play in IPM, with 23 chapters contributed by leading scientists from around the world. These are divided into nine sections covering: the needs and opportunities in developing countries; case studies on IPM applications; an assessment of the use of biotechnology to develop new biological control agents; plant breeding for pest and disease resistance; case studies on transgenic plants; alternative strategies for the use of transgenes in IPM systems; other components of IPM systems; new trends in virus and vector control; and commercial applications of biotechnology and the policy issues affecting investment.

*Persley, G.J. (ed) (1996) Biotechnology and integrated pest management. Wallingford, UK; CAB INTERNATIONAL, 475 pp. ISBN 0 85198 930 6, price £60.

Coming Soon....

Chapman & Hall will be publishing Parasitic Wasps by D.L.J. Quicke early in 1997. It provides a comprehensive review of the evolution, biology, behaviour and ecology of the hymenopterous parasitoids, written by one of the world's leading experts on the group. The ISBN is 0 412 58350 X and the price will be around £60.