Biocontrol is among the most promising methods for a safe, environmentally benign and sustainable pest control. Microbial pesticides offer a great potential, and it is anticipated that they will become a substantial part of the use of all crop protection products. Their development and commercialization, however, has been difficult and with many failures. In this book a rational and structured roadmap has been designed for the development and commercialization of microbial pest control products for the control of arthropod pests. The building blocks of the entire process are identified and essential aspects highlighted. Biopesticides based on entomopathogenic bacteria, fungi, viruses and nematodes are elaborately discussed. This systematic roadmap with a strong focus on economics and market introduction will assist academic researchers and industrial developers of biopesticides in accomplishing their goal: the development of successful cost-effective microbial pesticides.
From the reviews:
"As far as I know, no one has attempted this task in book form, and certainly not in such detail, and with so many real-life examples provided to document the conclusions. ... a valuable addition to the libraries of university, industrial and government researchers, as well as business persons, policy makers and regulators. ... Ravensberg analyzes both successful and failed products, identifying the factors shared by each. These analyses are instructive for researchers and companies who are embarking on new projects ... ." (Wendy Gelernter, Society for Invertebrate Pathology Newsletter, Vol. 44 (3), November, 2011)
"As far as I know, no one has attempted this task in book form, and certainly not in such detail, and with so many real-life examples provided to document the conclusions. ... a valuable addition to the libraries of university, industrial and government researchers, as well as business persons, policy makers and regulators. ... Ravensberg analyzes both successful and failed products, identifying the factors shared by each. These analyses are instructive for researchers and companies who are embarking on new projects ... ." (Wendy Gelernter, Society for Invertebrate Pathology Newsletter, Vol. 44 (3), November, 2011)