Encyclopaedia of pests and natural enemies in field crops

Summary in the original language of the document

Managing pests while encouraging the beneficial insects is a key component of organic crop production. This tool is a practical manual of pests and beneficial insects relevant in field crops. The first section describes how to identify larvae of the main pest families and their damage thresholds. Following sections describe the pests grouped by their taxonomy. The last section describes pest natural enemies and the agronomic practices that can improve their presence. Information regarding identification, risk factors, thresholds and non-chemical control are presented with a practical approach. Pests are well described and illustrated with pictures that facilitates their identification. This tool has been developed for the UK climates and conventional crops. Nonetheless, the information contained, can be used by farmers, conventional or organic, skilled or newcomers, all over Europe.