Insect Viruses and Pest Management [Hardcover]

Frances R. Hunter-Fujita (Author), Philip F. Entwistle (Author), Hugh F. Evans (Author), Norman E. Crook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 19, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0471968781 | ISBN-13: 978-0471968788 | Edition: 1

This is an essential guidebook, providing a comprehensive overview of insect viruses and pest management. Part One of this volume explores the rationale behind the employment of insect pathogenic viruses in pest control and documents the assessment of biological activity, the ecology of baculoviruses, control strategies, virus production and formulation, and the conduct and recording of field control trials. Part Two comprises an authoritative global survey of current practice, R&D, and up-to-date technical studies of insect viruses and their application in pest management. This survey was compiled with the assistance of a panel of world-wide experts and will prove an invaluable and unique data source. Building on the key topics discussed in Part One, easy-to-follow, practical protocols are presented in Part Three, including detailed accounts of standard operating procedures for working with insects, isolation, propagation (in vivo and in vitro), purification, characterization and enumeration of viruses, suggestions for good laboratory layout and design, mass production methods, formulation and quality control. The importance of external environmental factors concerning virus survival and efficacy is also not forgotten, and in the final part the effects of solar radiation and the relationships between viruses and plant surfaces are discussed. Indispensable reading for all professionals and students interested in insect virology and pest control, this book is a comprehensive reference manual.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This book covers theoretical and practical aspects of the use of insect viruses as biological controls. It introduces the reader to the arguments for using such controls versus the usage of traditional chemical pesticides, how to produce such viruses, both in vitro and in vivo, how to design a plant, and safety considerations. Provides information on the registration of biological pesticides in the US. Includes a list of the major groups of insect viruses, recipes, diets and instructions for the preparation of media and materials.

From the Back Cover

This is an essential guidebook, providing a comprehensive overview of insect viruses and pest management. Part One of this volume explores the rationale behind the employment of insect pathogenic viruses in pest control and documents the assessment of biological activity, the ecology of baculoviruses, control strategies, virus production and formulation, and the conduct and recording of field control trials. Part Two comprises an authoritative global survey of current practice, R&D, and up-to-date technical studies of insect viruses and their application in pest management. This survey was compiled with the assistance of a panel of world-wide experts and will prove an invaluable and unique data source. Building on the key topics discussed in Part One, easy-to-follow, practical protocols are presented in Part Three, including detailed accounts of standard operating procedures for working with insects, isolation, propagation (in vivo and in vitro), purification, characterization and enumeration of viruses, suggestions for good laboratory layout and design, mass production methods, formulation and quality control. The importance of external environmental factors concerning virus survival and efficacy is also not forgotten, and in the final part the effects of solar radiation and the relationships between viruses and plant surfaces are discussed. Indispensable reading for all professionals and students interested in insect virology and pest control, this book is a comprehensive reference manual.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 632 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (June 19, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471968781
• ISBN-13: 978-0471968788
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,132,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Insect Viruses and Pest Management, July 15, 2000

By 

Lerry Lacey - See all my reviews

This review is from: Insect Viruses and Pest Management (Hardcover)

One of the most comprehensive texts on entomopathogenic viruses to be published recently is that by F. R. Hunter-Fujita et al. (authors and editors). This opus magnum is divided into four sections: basic principles; world survey, practical techniques; and environmental factors influencing viral survival.

The section on basic principles is subdivided into 10 chapters on: the rationale for using microbial pesticides, virus characteristics, assessment of biological activity, baculovirus ecology in insects, control strategies, virus production, formulation, spray application, conducting and recording field trials and future developments. Although this section duplicates much of what has been presented in earlier texts, it brings together information that has not been integrated into one text before, updates earlier information and broadens the utility of the book. The "rationale" chapter is a concise and convincing justification for the use of microbial control agents of insect pests. A fairly short chapter describing characteristics of entomopathogenic viruses provides a synopsis of each of the families of viruses found in insects with the majority of the information devoted to the Baculoviruses. The chapter also includes the latest nomenclatural information. The next chapter is a short introduction to the principles of assessment of biological activity that is supplemented with detailed "hands on" procedures in part three of the book (Practical Techniques). The chapter on ecology of baculoviruses in insect hosts presents a detailed overview of this subject and supplies the reader with a multitude of references. In addition to pathology and the dynamics of virus transmission, biotic and abiotic factors that influence viral activity in insects, persistence of virus in the environment and epidemiology, there is a section on the use of models in understanding and using Baculoviruses in pest management. The chapter on control strategies includes the use of viruses in classical and semi-classical biological control, inundative applications, methods to enhance effectiveness and integration of viruses with other pathogens and conventional chemical insecticides. Chapters on virus production, formulation and spray application present a mix of theory and practical information. The most comprehensive of these is the chapter on formulation which includes a broad range of formulation components and their functions. The chapter on "Conduct and recording of field control trials" delivers a concise overview on a variety of topics related to conducting field trials, including parameters related to the condition of the virus inoculum, virus coverage, susceptibility of the target insect, field design and statistical treatment, and recording data.

Part two of the book, "World survey" is a review of the usage of entomopathogenic viruses against specific pests from a global perspective. Twelve chapters cover 11 geographical regions in terms of current research and control practices. The introductory chapter by P. F. Entwistle presents an overview in the form of tables for each of the geographic areas covered in subsequent chapters. In addition to the viruses that are addressed in each zone, the tables present an overview of work being conducted on: strain search, characterization, infectivity testing, ecology, safety testing, environmental impact studies, formulation research, field trials, extension trials, production and development, registration, commercialization and sales. The following eleven chapters are contributed by 15 authors, most of which are from the geographic areas being covered. The length and content of the chapters varies, but the reader will be furnished with a summary of fairly up to date information literally from the four corners of the globe. The general format of each chapter includes a regional perspective, information on virus production, formulation, safety tests and registration, and field experimentation. Most of the information regarding field experimentation and efficacy is organized under specific target pest insects.

Part three is an extensive "how to do" section of the book that concentrates on techniques used to work with entomopathogenic viruses and their production in host insects and cell lines. It also includes biochemical and molecular methods (Western blots, protein assay, PCR, etc.) and a variety of useful information from general laboratory practice to spray application. The chapter on mass production, product formulation and quality control actually contains very little regarding mass production, but procedures for production are covered in several other chapters. Procedures for formulating virus supplement the detailed chapter on formulation in part one of the book. The final chapter of the section on registration requirements is a bit out of place in that it does not include practical techniques per se. Chapters in this section will be useful to the novice as well as the experienced insect pathologist and include step by step procedures, materials that are required, and didactic figures and diagrams to assist the user.

Part four on environmental factors influencing viral survival contains two short chapters focusing on solar radiation and the effect plant surfaces can have on viral activity. The solar radiation chapter generally covers the physical properties and biological impact of ultraviolet radiation in terms of damage to DNA, RNA and proteins. The chapter on plant surfaces addresses the effects of leaf surface macro- and micro-structure, and chemical and micro-meteorological conditions and their measurement.

The book will make an excellent addition to the library of anyone working on entomopathogenic viruses. Its thorough coverage of the subject will provide the reader with a single source of information without the need to cross reference another 2 or more books. The dedication of the book to the late Norman Crook is a sad reminder that we have lost one of our best in the field of entomopathogenic viruses.