Gary L. Hein

This collection features three peer-reviewed reviews on managing arthropod pests in cereals. The first chapter discusses key arthropod pests of cereals, including Hessian fly, orange wheat blossom midge, bird cherry oat aphid, greenbug, Russian wheat aphid, sunn pest, wheat stem sawfly and wheat curl mite. The chapter provides a detailed case study for each arthropod pest, exploring the pest’s life cycle, its host plants and status as a wheat pest, best practices for managing populations, as well as our current understanding of plant susceptibility and plant resistance. The second chapter highlights the economic importance of corn/maize to the United States economy, citing that around 37.7 million hectares of land was used to grow the crop in 2021. As a result of its economic contribution, farmers are required to have an informed understanding of important pest species affecting the crop. The chapter considers recent advances in monitoring of native and invasive pests of corn and includes case studies on the European corn borer, corn earworm, western bean cutworm and corn rootworm to demonstrate the effective implementation of insect pest monitoring systems. The final chapter reviews the recent emergence of the Fescue aphid/grass aphid as an invasive pest of small grains outside of its native range of western Europe and the British Isles. The chapter considers the biology and management of the pest, its appearance and identification, its pest status and damage, as well as its potential for host plant resistance.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on mite pests in agriculture. The first chapter offers a holistic approach to integrated mite management by reviewing the basics of mite taxonomy and morphology. It studies the key plant mite families, focussing on major plant feeding mites (Tetranychidae, Tarsonemidae, Eriophyoidea), as well as the natural predators that regulate these mite populations. The second chapter explores the cultural, biological and chemical control tactics available for controlling major plant feeding mites. These tactics include: choosing tolerant varieties and weed management. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the debate surrounding the best form of control for mite pests in agriculture. The third chapter highlights the importance of understanding the bio-ecology of Tetranychidae species affecting tomato crops, including the two-spotted spider mite, carmine spider mite and red spider mite. The chapter considers the effects of each pest on tomato plants, as well as how best to control them. The final chapter details the ecology of mite pests affecting wheat that belong to the Eriophyoidea family, such as gall mites and wheat curl mites. The chapter discusses the various forms of control for managing Eriophyid mites, as well as the development of new resistant varieties of wheat.