June 2014 Hardback 304 Pages ISBN 874 The British Crop Production Council (BCPC) is a non-profit-making organisation and for over 50 years it has developed an international reputation for sound science in the fields of agriculture, food and the environment. Its conferences, publications and working groups bring together scientists to form opinion on key issues and its website attracts more than 12,000 visitors a month seeking its opinions, products and services. The Manual of Biocontrol Agents, first published as The BioPesticide Manual in 1998, in this new (5th) edition, has been substantially revised and updated to reflect the growth and maturity of the global biocontrol industry, which is predicted to reach $3.2 billion by 2017. The new edition claims to contain details of all active substances or organisms that are available commercially in at least one (registered) product form. This may be true at the time of print but in such a fast moving industry, new products are being added all the time. Over 200 commercially available active substances have initially been included under the now familiar groupings of macro-organisms, micro-organisms, botanicals and semiochemicals.

Each section details the modes of action, key data on mammalian, ecological and environmental toxicology, target crops and pests. Where there may still be gaps to be filled, comes in the listing of products.

Whilst the launch promotion boldly claims the listing is up to date, accurate and comprehensive for over 200 active substances, this is not strictly true of the with regard to commercially available products and not in the printed Manual. The BCPC has fortunately developed an online version of The Manual so if you want more up to date information, then the new on-line access is a must have option. With no apparent limitation on space, this option provides users with additional information on the products. The on-line manual has also been developed for user-friendly access on different devices, including smart phones. In addition, with the immediacy of the internet, the online version should (provided it is well maintained) be updated throughout the year (no claim how often) to reflect major changes and regulatory impacts in the sector.

At the time of going to print, products from 77 companies were featured. Install Linux Software On Synology here. The publication has been compiled by experts in the biocontrol industry and should be a valuable resource for all those involved in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). With the unabridged title ‘A World Compendium – The Manual of Biocontrol Agents’ it is a bold publication that claims to cover all global markets. The rise of biocontrol in China and Asia generally (some Indian companies are covered), it may be that certain commercialised agents in some markets are not featured.