Desert Locust Plagues


Book Description

For thousands of years, humans have found themselves vulnerable to plagues of desert locusts. Some fifty countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia have been ravaged, at one time or another, by huge, devouring swarms of locusts. With the consequent, often total, destruction of crops and grazing, widespread hunger and starvation ensued. Colin Everard's book takes as its geographical focus the Horn of Africa, an area which throughout history has suffered catastrophically from locust plagues. Based on his own extensive experience in the region, Everard describes one of the greatest (albeit unsung) triumphs of the twentieth century, namely, how the desert locust scourge has, at last, been virtually brought under control.







The Desert Locust


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Real-time evaluation of FAO's response to the desert locust upsurge 2020–2021: Phase II


Book Description

A devastating desert locust upsurge has spread across parts of the Near East, the Greater Horn of Africa and South West Asia in 2020–2021, posing risks to livelihoods and food security in the region. FAO's intervention has been to curb the spread of desert locust, safeguarding livelihoods and providing recovery, and coordinating and preparing the rapid surge support. This report showcases the second phase of the real-time evaluation, in which the following issues have been investigated: i) country level results from case studies; ii) management and operational processes; and iii) extent to which lessons from countries and regions are transferred to other contexts. Six priority areas emerged from this process: i) country level training and capacity development; ii) national locust control and architecture; iii) procurement; iv) pesticide management; v) livelihoods support; and vi) innovation and learning.




Phenotypic Plasticity of Insects


Book Description

This book explores the profound importance of phenotypic plasticity as a central organizing theme for understanding biology. Chapters take a broad, integrative approach to explain how physical and biological environmental stimuli (temperature, photoperiod, nutrition, population density, predator presence, etc.), influence insect biochemical, physiological, learning, and developmental processes, altering phenotype, which then influences performance, ecology, life-history, survival, fitness, and subsequent evolution. Topics include endocrinology, development, body size, allometry, polyphenism, reproduction, reproductive and life-history tradeoffs, alternative mating and life-history strategies, density-dependent prophylaxis, physiological adaptation, acclimation, homeostasis, heat-shock proteins, learning, adaptive anti-predator behavior, and evolution of phenotypic plasticity.




The Desert Locust in India


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Area-Wide Control of Insect Pests


Book Description

Insect pests are becoming a problem of ever-more biblical proportions. This new textbook collates a series of selected papers that attempt to address various fundamental components of area-wide insect pest control. Of special interest are the numerous papers on pilot and operational programs that pay special attention to practical problems encountered during program implementation. It’s a compilation of more than 60 papers authored by experts from more than 30 countries.







Report of the Desert Locust Survey


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New Strategies in Locust Control


Book Description

In the late eighties large-scale control operations were carried out to control a major desert locust upsurge in Africa. For the first time since the banning of organochlorine pesticides these operations relied mainly on non-persistent pesticides such as organophosphates and pyrethroids. The amount of pesticides sprayed and the area covered were probably the highest in the history of locust control and raised criticism with respect to efficacy, economic viability and environmental impact. As a consequence, applied research into the problem was intensified, both at the national and the international level, with the goal of finding new and environmentally sound approaches and solutions to locust and grasshopper control. Emphasis was laid on developing new control agents and techniques.