In the tropics, insect pests are often the major constraint for crop production, particularly in food legumes. In most regions, food legumes are grown as secondary crops on marginal soils. Under subsistence conditions, particularly in Africa, farmers consider food legume production risky. Compared with cereal crops, food legumes have received limited attention from crop-improvement specialists, and their yields have remained relatively low. Recently, they have gained some impetus from the drive to promote sustainable systems, as part of their demand for nitrogen can be met by biological nitrogen fixation, the rhizobia in the soil colonizing their roots and capturing nitrogen from the air. In this book, an effort has been made to collate the information on advances made in the control of insect pests of tropical food legumes, namely cowpeas, soybeans, pigeon peas and groundnuts.
Entomologists from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), along with researchers in national programmes in Africa, Latin America and Asia have contributed. The introduction, which deals with the general morphology, ecosystems, regions, distribution and uses of the crops, comes from a well-known scientist at the United States Department of Agriculture. A chapter on virus vestors and transmission of viruses has been included, representing efforts from virologists working at IITA, CIAT, ICRISAT, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and Asian Vegetable Research Development Center (AVRDC).
- ISBN10 0471923907
- ISBN13 9780471923909
- Publish Date 22 August 1990
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 3 December 1998
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
- Imprint John Wiley & Sons Ltd
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 468
- Language English