There is need for a pest control strategy that can be sustained and does not produce adverse side effects. After a nationally or regionally recognized pest problem has been brought under control with IPM, policymakers and technical staff are usually much more receptive to the approach, and also more willing to make the necessary policy and institutional changes to support it in the long term. The changes may include removal of pesticide subsidies, tighter enforcement of pesticide regulations, and incentives for local production of IPM inputs, such as insectaries for natural predators. This book contains the basic principles of pests, diseases and weeds into a single, integrated program. Plant Protection is a dynamic field and a systematic understanding of the strategies involved is necessary for the successful management of plants and crops and to permit constant updating. It can readily be used in conjunction with the season-related learning of plant pests, diseases and weeds. In this preface suggestions are made on how this book may best be used.

Dr. Mahendra Singh, presently working as Senior Scientist, PME Section, Director’s Office, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi. He has experience of 20 years in R&D by associated with various research projects funded by different agencies viz., ICAR, DoT, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and in the field of biotic stress management, biological control, vegetable and legume germplasm screening for insect resistance, participatory extension, women empowerment, inter-institutional approach for transfer of technology, training and capacity building activities, plant protection, weather-based forewarning system for insect-pest and IPM of cotton, Biological Control of Soil-borne pathogens i.e. nematode especially vegetable crops, biotechnology-led socio-economic empowerment of farm Women. Taught introductory nematology (UG) General and Applied Microbiology (UG), Disease management in vegetable, tuber and spice crops (UG), Disease management in ornamental medicinal and aromatic plants (UG), Disease management in fruits and plantation crops (UG), Introductory Microbiology (UG), Physiological and Molecular plant Pathology (PG), Principles of Plant Pathology (PG), Diseases of kharif crops (UG) to UG and PG classes. In addition to extensive research experience he is also handling three institutional and one external projects and worked with farmers for training and demonstration to manage soil borne pathogens by IPM under DBT funded project. Dr. D. Prasad retired as Prof. and Head (Retd.), I.A.R.I., has more that 40 years of research and teaching experience in the field of nematology in particular and plant protection in general. He has published more than 246 research papers, 100 abstracts presented in symposia of national and international repute and 95 chapters in various books. Dr. Prasad is known for his research contributions in nematode management on groundnut and soybean and developed IPM nodule for root knot nematode on groundnut. He also worked on environmentally safe pesticides, developed and tested two new molecules for control of nematodes and hence patented, and received HARDF Award 1994, fellow of Several Societies won many prestigious award of Societies and Agril. Universities. Dr. Prasad has written/edited books namely Environment Pollution - Air, Water, Land, Radiation, Solid Waste, Thermal, Soil Environment & Pesticides, Potential IPM Tactics, Ecofriendly Pest Suppression, Crop Pest and Disease Management, Advances in Plant Protection Sciences, Crop Protection: Management Strategies, Sustainable Pests Management, Insect Pest and Disease Management, Sustainable Crop Protection Strategies (2 volumes) and Crop Protection, Conservation and Diversity (2 volumes) during the past few years. He founded a Society of Plant Protection Sciences in 1992 which publishes six monthly Journal "Annals of Plant Protection Sciences".