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BIOLOGICAL
PEST CONTROL IN THE MIDDLE EAST (Contacts) 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. Dr.
Shmuel Gothilf who obtained the parasitoids from Dr. E. F. Legner in
California performed the research. 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 Ahmed el-Heneidy |