Introduction

There is need for a pest control strategy that can be sustained and does not produce adverse side effects. After a nationally or regionally recognized pest problem has been brought under control with IPM, policymakers and technical staff are usually much more receptive to the approach, and also more willing to make the necessary policy and institutional changes to support it in the long term. The changes may include removal of pesticide subsidies, tighter enforcement of pesticide regulations, and incentives for local production of IPM inputs, such as insectaries for natural predators.

This book contains the basic principles of pests, diseases and weeds into a single, integrated program. Plant Protection is a dynamic field and a systematic understanding of the strategies involved is necessary for the successful management of plants and crops and to permit constant updating. It can readily be used in conjunction with the season-related learning of plant pests, diseases and weeds. In this preface suggestions are made on how this book may best be used.