Preface

The food and nutritional security of the increasing human population is one of the biggest challenges of the present century. Various organisms, like weeds, crop pests, diseases, etc., are some of the major limiting factors in increasing crop productivity for increasing human population and decreasing agricultural land. Biocontrol or biological control is a method of management for any potentially noxious organisms (crop pests, pathogens, or weeds) using another organism in an ecologically sustainable manner, thereby saving our crops from such noxious organisms. These biological strategies include the use of predators, parasitosis, antagonist organisms, pathogens of noxious organisms, competitors, herbivores, etc., that have naturally evolved alongside the noxious organisms during the evolution as a part of the food chain or to maintain the ecological balance. The mass multiplication of these biocontrol agents and utilization of them against crop pest pathogens and weeds is a new category of human interventions for crop protection in an eco-friendly way, thereby reducing the dependence on agrochemicals that may not be ecologically safe. In recent years, due to environmental awareness as a result of mass media and discussions at several international forums, there has been a gradual shift in people’s choice toward relatively safer methods of crop protection interventions. Several efforts were made to evaluate new biocontrol methods, and a lot of scientific information has emerged. Therefore, there was a need to compile the recent progress in this area in the form of a book.

In this regard, the present edited book entitled ‘Biological Control for Plant Protection: Recent Advances in Research and Sustainability’ is a timely attempt to incorporate all the recent advancements in the field of biological control in relation to plant protection. A total of 15 chapters have been included in this edited collection. Its chapters cover all major areas of biocontrol, like mass multiplication of bio-control agents, their genetic engineering, biopesticides, etc. An attempt has also been made to discuss all major classes of biocontrol agents like actinobacteria, biocontrol agents for nematodes and lepidopteran pests, etc. Further, the new biotechnological methods to improve the effectiveness of biocontrol agents have also been discussed. Besides this, its role in organic agriculture and ecological sustainability has also been discussed in specific chapters. The editors wish the readers an enjoyable journey while going through this book.