Summary
Cotton produces the majority of natural fibers used in clothing today. The production of this fiber, a raw material marketed worldwide, can be reduced to nothing if disease or pest attacks are not kept under control. The book deals with the methods used to protect cotton against insects and mites, and highlights the limits of techniques that can be used depending on the socio-economic contexts of producing countries in Africa and South America: arthropod species involved, types of damage, natural regulation, available control strategies and methods, etc.
Based on existing practices, the authors analyze the prospects open to cotton producers for protecting their crops in a world facing climate change. They underline the need to consider problems in a holistic way, and discuss optimizing approaches according to situations, considering landscape structure for example.
This book is aimed at scientists and professionals interested in plant health and cautious pest management.
Table of contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part 1. Cotton arthropod diversity, damage and production losses
Chapter 1. Cotton and its cultivation
The plant: botanical aspects
Diversity of cotton growing methods
Chapter 2. Phytosanitary problems linked to arthropods
Diversity of damage caused to cotton
Diversity of phytophagous arthropods of cotton
Chapter 3. Natural regulation by arthropods and micro-organisms
Natural enemies by functional groups
Overall importance of the natural enemy complex
Chapter 4. Production losses due to arthropod diversity
Quantitative losses
Qualitative losses
Part 2. Cotton pest management strategies and practices
Chapter 5. Evolution of plant protection strategies
Integrated control and management on a large geographical scale
From conventional to sustainable agriculture
Biological control and biocontrol
Agroecology and agroecological crop protection
Chapter 6. Diversity of cotton protection practices
The case of natural cotton cultivation
The case of certified organic cotton cultivation
The case of conventional cotton cultivation
Ambiguities inherent in the use of insecticides
Chapter 7. Towards a reduction in the use of synthetic insecticides in sub-Saharan Africa
Dose-cadence protection programs
Protection programs with thresholds
Chapter 8. Other methods adopted for cotton protection
Partial adoption of biological control or natural regulation
Use of pheromones
Crop associations and agroforestry
Thresholds in mechanized cultivation
Chapter 9. Putting strategies into practice: difficulties and challenges
Difficulties in defining or applying thresholds
Difficulties related to the adoption of Bt cotton
Difficulties in implementing control methods
Chapter 10. Conclusions and perspectives
Taxonomic diversity, biology and ecology of pests
Developing new knowledge on pest-cotton interactions
Involving actors in the value chain
References
