This book is a remarkable achievement for a single author and is a must for anyone who wishes to have an up-to-date exposition of the management of insect pests of plants. The writing is lucid and the treatment of the subject is comprehensive. In the first chapter Dr Sharma succinctly demonstrates the need for the management of insect pests of plants with a histogram showing the tremendous losses they cause in major crops. He then goes on to ask the question 'What is available in the basket and what can we do?" The answer occupies the rest of this 526-page book.

Conventional breeding of plants for resistance is treated but because it is often multigenic it is difficult to incorporate into important crop plants. In some circumstances marker-assisted selection can help but, not surprisingly, a considerable proportion of the book is devoted to genetic modification. Not only are transgenic plants considered but also transgenic microbial pesticides. Besides reducing the losses caused by insect pests, Dr Sharma makes the point that transgenic plants with insecticidal genes have other advantages, such as reduced pesticide use, and therefore reduction in exposure of farmers and non-target organisms to them, increased activity of natural enemies and reduced pesticide residues in food.

Throughout the book, as its title suggests, due attention is given to the sustainability of the pest management techniques described and also to making them available to resource-poor farmers.

This is a fascinating text and highly recommended to all who are concerned with the control of insect pests of our major crops.