Biological Control Programmes in Canada 2001-2012

Biological control is an endeavor fraught with difficulty, requiring much research, attention to detail and knowledge of local ecological parameters and the way they interact with one another. Canada has long been among the world leaders in its applications--careful and successful, or otherwise--and this collection of papers presents an overview of its track record and the lessons learned in the first decade of this century. The authors are mostly agriculturalists, agronomists and academic biologists with strong ecological backgrounds; together, they contribute 71 papers on all aspects of the field, from regulatory issues and social issues such as access and benefit sharing, to the effects of climate change on the development of biological control. The bulk of the volume, however (64 chapters), is dedicated to close studies of specific organisms and pests. Beetles predominate, but moths, various weeds and microorganisms that cause important crop diseases are certainly not forgotten. Pesticides and invasive species are discussed in detail, in several specific chapters. New molecular mapping techniques, among others, are discussed. Throughout the emphasis is on pest control and risk assessment in the context of ecological impact on fragile ecosystems. Dist. in U.S. by Stylus Publishing. Annotation c2014 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)