Recent trends of insect control in the tropics
1982
Brader, L.
Efforts to increase agricultural production in the tropics must he oriented in the first place towards the small farmers' food crops. However, by tradition virtually all research efforts have been oriented to the so-called cash crops, and consequently current knowledge on pest control in food crops in the tropics is very limited. Moreover entomologists are trained on the basis of intensive agricultural production systems. From a selected number of examples it is evident that insects can cause significant losses in major food crops such as rice, maize, cassava, sorghum, millet, pulses and vegetables. However the history of insect control in cotton growing, for example, shows that in tropical ecosystems insect populations can be maintained at comparatively low levels when properly managed. Insect control in the tropics will lead to the further development and application of integrated pest control, and this will be the surest way to achieve real improvement in the plant health situation.
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