ABSTRACT
US populations of the sweet potato whitefly have sequentially developed resistance to current pesticides including organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroids. The collapse of existing controls due to the emergence of resistant strains in the late 1980s and early 1990s in many areas of the southern US has resulted in the development of a control crisis which greatly threatens future produce production. Highly insecticide-resistant strains of the green peach aphid occur throughout the US on both vegetable crops and greenhouse crops. Weeds readily develop resistance to pesticides, resulting in pest buildup and new challenges to agriculture to try and control them. The chapter also presents an overview of this book. The book provides some insight into present and future challenges to crop production and to review how pesticides affect crops. It discusses the economics of pesticide or biopesticide use and the future trends for replacing pesticides with biocontrol agents and/or genetic engineering to develop pest-resistant or -tolerant crops.
