By the 1950s, the use of synthetic insecticides to defend food and fiber crops against insects, mites, and disease appeared to offer an easy solution to crop protection. More than 50 years later, while conventional agricultural methods still rely mainly on the use of chemical pesticides, we recognize that there are many problems associated with the use of insecticides, such as the following:

• Some insect pests become resistant
• Nontarget organisms can be affected
• Pest resurgence can occur
• Adverse affects on environment and human health can arise

In response to the consequences of petrochemical pesticide use, researchers and agriculturalists have developed the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system, an eco-based pest-control strategy that strives to minimize the use of chemical pesticides by embracing such practices as the use of pest-resistant plants, various ...