Biotic Stress and Yield Loss

Understanding biotic stress and plant yield allows for the practical development of economic decision making, an instrumental part of Integrated Pest Management. And further, the impact of biotic injury on plant yield bears directly on the basic biological questions of population dynamics, life history strategies, community structure, plant-stressor coevolution, and ecosystem nutrient cycling. Biotic Stress and Yield Loss is a comprehensive review of the latest conclusions of yield loss in entomology, weed science, and plant pathology, combining state-of-the-art theory with successful applications. This book is unique in that it is the first to cover all biotic stressors, insects, weeds, and plant pathogens, and their impact on plant yield and fitness. It focuses on current knowledge of yield and fitness loss in both natural and agricultural ecosystems and on a physiologically based approach to provide a common basis for considering and discussing biotic stress. By considering biotic stress within the context of plant ecophysiology, Biotic Stress and Yield Loss attempts to elevate knowledge of biotic stress to the same level as abiotic stress and makes an argument for integrating the two types of stress.