Pests and Pollinators of Vegetable and Oilseed Crops

Book excerpt: Pest management for vegetable crops and safety provision for the pollinators is a challenging task in the context to increase vegetable productivity without upsetting the ecological balance. The book Pests and Pollinators of Vegetable and Oilseed Crops aims to integrate and develop pest control strategies by minimizing their impact on beneficial insect species such as natural enemies and pollinators for enhancing fruit production and quality. A detailed account is provided on pests and pollinators of oilseed crops such as Cruciferous, Solanaceous, Umbelliferous, Cucurbitaceous, Malvaceous, Leguminous and Alliaceae. The compilation of this book is unique as it does not deal only with the conventional way of pest management for different crops; it takes into consideration the role of pollinators and their profitable utilization in the larger context of ecologically based pest management and safety of pollinators. An exemplary attempt is made to promote a large, diverse, sustainable and dependable bee pollinator workforce that can meet the challenges of optimizing food production in the twenty-first century and beyond.