Persistence of stored-product insects in hidden refugia and their subsequent movement into stored commodities resulting in product infestation contributes to their pest status and represents a potential target for biological control agents. Entomopathogenic nematodes have not been previously tested against stored-product insects in environments such as empty grain bins or food processing and wa...

Over-reliance on synthetic pesticides in insect pest control has caused widespread public and scientific concerns for human health and the environment, especially since many insect pests have already developed resistances to conventional pesticides and Bt products. For this reason, there is a considerable interest in development of alternative control methods for insect pest management. Based o...

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) was used to increase the shelf life of fresh in hull pistachio nuts (Pistacia vera L.), meeting the market demand for fresh high quality products. Fresh in hull pistachio nuts were stored at 5°C and three different gaseous conditions including 10% O2, 20% CO2 and 70% N2 (MAP1), 100% CO2 (MAP2) and ambient atmosphere for 42 days. The samples of 300 g of pistac...

Large scale application of chemical pesticides to reduce the crop losses caused by insect pests and diseases, valued at over US$250 billion annually, has not only led to serious environmental hazards, but has also resulted in development of resistance to pesticides in pest populations. It is in this context that crop varieties capable of resisting pest damage will play a vital role in reducing ...