Biocontrol of Oilseed Rape Pests

Abstract

BIOCONTROL IS A COMMONLY USED practice in entomology, but has long been overshadowed by the all too familiar “just spray it” philosophy that permeates much of agriculture. In the pre-DDT era, biocontrol was a standard control option for many insect pests. Oneofmanyexamples is the introductionof theVedalia beetle to control cottony cushion scale in California. In 1997, a three-year programwas begun to identify the natural enemies of oilseed rape (known as canola in the United States) pests throughout Europe. This book resulted from the knowledge gained during the course of the study. It provides a comprehensive report of the Þndings of this study, including practices and organisms involved, and their roles in the overall production of oilseed rape. It is AlfordOs opinion that amajor barrier to practical application of current knowledge to control oilseed rape pests of Europe is, “although knowledge and expertise of natural enemies of oilseed rape pests exist withinEurope, information is fragmented, incomplete and largely parochial. It is also dispersed and not readily available to practitioners and farmers.” He hopes that Biocontrol of Oilseed Rape Pests will result in a “better-targeted” approach to integrated crop management (ICM). This book is composed of 17 chapters, with preface, glossary, author index, and general index. The Þrst chapter introduces the reader to oilseed rape. Chapters 2 and 3 deal with insect pests of oilseed rape and theirmanagement.Chapters 4 9 reviewparasitoids of the following pest insects: pollen beetles, ceutorhynchid stem weevils, cabbage seed weevil, brassica pod midge, sea beetles, and miscellaneous pests. Chapter 10 is a discussion of various methods of sampling, trapping and rearing oilseed rapepests and their parasitoids. Chapter 11 explains identiÞcation of hymenopterous parasitoids associated with oilseed rape pests. Chapters 12 and 13 deal with the taxonomy and identiÞcation of predators. Chapter 14 describes methods for sampling, trapping and rearing of predators. Chapter 15 is a discussion of the impact of on-farm landscape structures and farming systems on predators. Chapter 16 is an evaluation of the effectiveness of predators as biocontrol agents. Chapter 17 is an evaluation of the pathogens of oilseed rape pests. It provides the reader with a broad scope of knowledge of oilseed rape and themeans to understand and identify both the pests and their predators and parasitoids. It contains photographs in black and white (with indications of scale), numerous tables, occasional color photos, and with user-friendly insect keys designed for general audience. The combination of these features makes it an excellent and valuable reference.Thechaptersonparasitoidsgo intogreatdetail on the characteristics of the insect parasitoids by looking at each pest insect alone, and by recording all the parasitoids that attack it: their characteristics, phenology, status and importance, life history, and range.The bookmakes good use of tables, providing among other useful information, clear lists of parasitoids for each economic pest. It contains most of what one could hope for in a book about successful biocontrol in oilseed rape, but most importantly, it is structured in a way that makes it valuable to an individual interested in biological control, and to anyone who wishes to publish a book on biocontrol for any crop. Its structure makes it easy to read and useful in practice. It should serve as a template for biocontrol books in the future. Anyone in oilseed rape production would beneÞt by reading and having this book.Theonlynegative aspect of this book is the priceNit is out of the price range of many individuals who would Þnd it useful. Biocontrol of Oilseed Rape Pests gives the reader the tools to manage and produce this crop in a more ecologically sound manner than many common production practices allow. It is not just a comprehensive report of the Þndings of the three-year study. It is a blue print on how to form a successful biocontrol program not based on insect introduction, but on managing and monitoring existing populations of our insect alliesNour legions which some had forgotten we even had.