Role of Genetic Engineering in Insect Pest Management

Description

Disease and insect pest resistance to various pests has been slowly bred into crops for the past 13,000 years; current techniques in biotechnology now offer opportunities to further and more rapidly improve the non-chemical control of disease and insect pests of crops. A major environmental and economic cost associated with genetic engineering applications in agriculture relates to the use of herbicide- resistant crops (HRCs). In general, HRC technology results in increased herbicide use, pollution of the environment, and weed control costs for farmers that may be twofold greater than standard weed control costs. Therefore, pest control with both pesticides and genetic engineering methods can be improved for effective, safe, and economical pest control. Biotechnology provides ample opportunities for effective and targeted insect-pest control through critical analysis and engineering of biological processes. This book “Role of Genetic Engineering in Insect Pest Management” describes widely accepted approaches that have been broadly accepted for the characterization of insect pests as well as their field control.