Abstract
Abstract
A review and analysis of the literature showed that precipitation, or
its absence, can regulate the numbers of or the damage by insect pests of
annual crops in Canada in essentially four main ways: as soil moisture, when
the insects are in the ground; as a mechanical factor that impinges directly
on them when they are exposed; through its effects on foodplants; and
through its effects on natural enemies of the pests. Though any one pest
species may be influenced by two or more of these processes and in different
ways by each depending on the stage of its life cycle that is affected,
usually only one way is significant. Precipitation is so far of little value
in forecasting pest situations reliably, but water in various forms has much
potential for use as a pest control agent.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Subject
Insect Science,Molecular Biology,Physiology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics,Structural Biology