Advances in Tropical Crop Protection

This book presents research findings on newly discovered pests and diseases that may be impacted by climate change in the tropics; current management techniques including molecular diagnostics, integrated pest management (IPM), and agroecological approach; and recent technological advancements used as preventive and curative approaches to mitigate the effects of plant pests and diseases. Combining the expertise of leading researchers in the various fields, the book provides a useful reference for all relevant stakeholders.

The proposed book is prepared with the aim of disseminating the current research development of emerging pests and diseases in the tropics in the era of climate change as well as new and eco-friendly pest and disease management technologies of tropical crops. The book is divided into three sections with sixteen chapters. Section 1: Advances in Tropical Insect Pest Management consists of four chapters describing the discovery, formulations, and applications of nature-based solutions such as natural enemies of insects, insect hormones, botanicals, and microorganisms for sustainable pest management. Section 2: Advances in Tropical Plant Disease Management consists of seven chapters, describing the causal agents of economically important diseases of tropical crops, rapid pathogen detection systems as well as effective and sustainable disease management strategies. Section 3: Advances in Management of Other Tropical Pests consists of five chapters detailing the various eco-friendly pest management of vertebrates, mollusks, weeds, and emerging IR4.0 technologies in pest management. Ideas for future volumes on this subject: Volume II would be a follow-up to Volume I. It covers emerging pests and diseases of the tropics in greater depth, with a focus on specific hosts and diseases. Robust pests and disease management technologies utilized in crop protection in tropical areas by the farmers will be discussed as well.

Mui-Yun Wong is a Professor of Plant Pathology and Biotechnology at the Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). She is currently the Deputy Director at the Institute of Plantation Studies, UPM. She obtained her Ph.D. from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA in 2004. She was a Fulbright Scholar attached to the University of California, Riverside, USA in the 2016/2017 session. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and the Asian PGPR Society for Sustainable Agriculture. Her research focuses on molecular plant pathology and innovative strategies for sustainable crop protection.