1st Edition

Biotechnological Approaches for Pest Management and Ecological Sustainability

By Hari C Sharma Copyright 2008
    548 Pages
    by CRC Press

    548 Pages
    by CRC Press

    Due to increasing problems occurring from massive applications of pesticides, such as insect resistance to pesticides, the use of biotechnological tools to minimize losses from insect pests has become inevitable. Presenting alternative strategies for alleviating biotic stresses, Biotechnological Approaches for Pest Management and Ecological Sustainability explores how the modern tools of biotechnology can be used in pest management for sustainable crop production, the biosafety of transgenic crops, and environmental conservation.





    This comprehensive work covers a gamut of issues ranging from host plant resistance to insect pests to the application of molecular approaches for pest management. It discusses phenotyping transgenic plants, mapping populations for insect resistance, physico-chemical and molecular markers associated with insect resistance, the potential of insect-resistant transgenic crops for pest management, and the use of biotechnological tools for diagnosing insects and monitoring insect resistance to insecticides. The author examines how genetic engineering can be used to produce robust natural enemies and more virulent strains of entomopathogenic microbes. He also studies issues related to gene flow, resistance to transgenes and selection markers, the biosafety of food derived from genetically engineered plants, and the potential application of molecular tools for solving some of the intricate pest problems in the future.





    Focusing on how to make the development and deployment of biotechnology-derived products for pest management safe and cost-effective, this book will enable readers to make informed decisions on genetically engineered organisms for pest management and sustainable crop production.

    Pest Management and the Environment. Applications of Biotechnology in Agriculture: The Prospects. Evaluation of Transgenic Plants and Mapping Populations for Resistance to Insect Pests. Host Plant Resistance to Insects: Potential and Limitations. Mechanisms and Inheritance of Resistance to Insect Pests. Physico-Chemical and Molecular Markers for Resistance to Insect Pests. Genetic Transformation of Crops for Resistance to Insect Pests. Genetic Engineering of Entomopathogenic Microbes for Pest Management. Genetic Engineering of Natural Enemies for Integrated Pest Management. Deployment of Insect-Resistant Transgenic Crops for Pest Management: Potential and Limitations. Transgenic Resistance to Insects: Interactions with Non-Target Organisms. Development of Resistance to Transgenic Plants and Strategies for Resistance Management. Transgenic Resistance to Insects: Gene Flow. Transgenic Resistance to Insects: Nature of Risk and Risk Management. Biosafety of Food from Genetically Modified Crops. Detection and Monitoring of Food and Food Products Derived from Genetically Modified Crops. Molecular Markers for Diagnosis of Insect Pests and Their Natural Enemies. Molecular Techniques for Developing New Insecticide Molecules and Monitoring Insect Resistance to Insecticides. Biotechnology, Pest Management, and the Environment: The Future. Index.

    Biography

    Sharma, Hari C