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Title: Preface: Insect Pathology, 2nd ed

Author
item Vega, Fernando
item KAYA, H - University Of California

Submitted to: Insect Pathology
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/28/2011
Publication Date: 2/1/2012
Citation: Vega, F.E., Kaya, H.K. 2012. Preface: Insect Pathology, 2nd ed. Insect Pathology. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. p. xiii.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Insect pathology is an essential component of entomology and provides a non-chemical alternative for insect pest management. There are several groups of organisms that can infect and kill insects including viruses, fungi, microsporidia, bacteria, protists, and nematodes. The dilemma in insect pathology has been that even though there has been a steady increase in our knowledge of insect pathogens, their share of the market for insect control remains minuscule. Why is this? Is it perhaps due to a lack of understanding on specific aspects of the pathogens, e.g., their ecology in the field? Or is the current state of our knowledge – even after more than 100 years of research - a limiting factor in making these microbes effective, economically acceptable, and widely accepted?