Chemical Pesticides Mode of Action and Toxicology

By providing an integrated, yet simple description of modern chemical pesticides, this concise and timely introduction describes these compounds according to their mode of action at the cellular and biochemical level. The author discusses why pesticides are toxic to the target organism, why pesticides are toxic to some organisms and not others, and how various poisons interfere with biochemical processes in organisms. The book also explores how resistance to pesticides develops, how resistance can be used to illustrate the theory of evolution, and how it can be used to produce herbicide-resistant crop plants. Legal matters and potential environmental problems are also discussed.