Sustainable management of insect-pests

Abstract

The conception of 'insect-pests' has ascended from human crop cultivation practice and desire of food security from ubiquitous insects. They are also regarded by some as the main competitors of humans for dominance on the earth. The management of insect-pests is hammered by both biotic and abiotic factors. Sustainable pest management is a two-strand approach which requires complete information about control strategy, pest biology and ecology which helps to determine the most appropriate procedure/method (how), timing (when) and place (where) for effective use of any control technology of any pest. In this context, IPM (Integrated Pest Management), ICM (Integrated Crop Management) and IRM (Integrated resistance Management) can help to reduce crop yield losses while managing insect pests without causing harm to non-target organisms. However, the global implementation of these practices has been slow down due to different factors. Conclusively, integration of non-chemical control methods including new technologies with synthetic insecticides will be a promising option for sustainable insect pest management. This chapter will highlight the issues hampering sustainable insect-pests management and suggest ways to overcome these factors. Furthermore, the potential role of different stakeholders is also discussed which can be integrated for fruitful solutions of common problems of insect pest management. Finally, the integration of different therapeutic tools (IPM, ICM and IRM etc.) is underscored to increase crop production without harming the environment.