Nematode Pathogenesis of Insects and Other Pests

One of the most challenging goals for modern agriculture is simultaneously reducing negative impacts on the environment while producing enough food. Sustainable agriculture is the alternative, using rational methods to protect crops and enhance productions. To accomplish this objective is necessary to link fundamental and applied research to advance towards the optimal use of the resources. The first volume of the Series “Sustainability in plant and crop protection”, presents a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary compendium about the recent achievements in the use of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) and other nematodes as biological control in a global scale. Three sections comprise this volume to provide a holistic and up-to-date revision of different topics related with the use of nematodes as biocontrol. The fundamental bases on the biodiversity, genetic improvement, behavior, interactions in the rhizosphere and the conceptual model to their employ from augmentation to conservation biological control are discussed in the first section (Chapters 1-6). New approaches and techniques developed to enhance their efficacy and survival, enhancement of their release and the implications of regulation and ecological impact on the industrial scale production integrate the core of the second section (Chapters 7-10). The last section links the two previous ones in a worldwide case-study discussion. Long-term research programs and pioneer studies in countries with limited resources are integrated in this section (Chapters 11-20), including a special reference on the advances performed in the use of the slug parasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (Chapter 21). The contributors are renowned Scientific with long expertise in the selected topic. Their experiences illustrate the roadmap for the future generation of researchers interested inbuilt a new system in which sustainable agriculture will be the standard practice.