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BIOLOGICAL PEST
CONTROL IN THE MIDDLE EAST Biological
control was practiced early in the Middle East, flourishing especially in
Israel and Egypt about the same time that it did in California. The
subtropical climates in Israel favored the production of a diverse
agriculture as it did in California, with the accompanying diversity of
pests. Also, because of the mild climate biological control was readily
successful. Similarities in climate with California, Florida and Texas
naturally favored collaboration among scientists in the Middle East with
those areas of the United States. Natural enemies were, and continue to be,
frequently exchanged. Israel starting at the beginning of the 20th Century
(or Palestine as it was then called) provided considerable theoretical
expertise on population dynamics related to biological control. In recent
times, scientists in the Middle East have also developed liaison with those
in southern Africa and Australia where similar climates and crops prevail.
However, the University of California provided the basic training for most
Middle East biological control researchers after the 1950's when courses in
this discipline were first formally organized. There has been a
successful establishment of Goniozus legneri Gordh on carob moth, Ectomyelois
ceratoniae attacking almonds in Israel.
The research was performed by Dr. Shmuel Gothilf who obtained the
parasitoids from Dr. E. F. Legner in California. A detailed scientific account was submitted for publication but
was never published with the unexpected demise of Dr. Gothilf. In his manuscript, Dr. Gothilf recorded
the establishment and spread over all of Israel of G. legneri, and it was
expected that population densities of the carob moth along with the peach
twig borer would be gradually reduced, perhaps to non-economic levels. .It
would be interesting to survey neighboring countries, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon
and Egypt, for the existence of G. legneri. [Please refer to California Research
to view details of the parasitoid] REFERENCES: <bc-63.ref.htm> & <pooled.htm> [ Additional
references may be found at MELVYL
Library ] Please refer also to El-Heneidy. |