The Editors of Crop Protection especially welcome papers describing an interdisciplinary approach showing how different control strategies can be integrated into practical pest management programmes. Crop Protection particularly emphasizes the practical aspects of control in the field, and includes work which may lead in the near future to more effective control. The journal does not duplicate the many existing excellent biological science journals, which deal mainly with the more fundamental aspects of plant pathology, applied zoology and weed science. Crop Protection covers all practical aspects of pest, disease and weed control, including the following topics:
• Control of diseases of crop plants caused by microorganisms
• Control of animal pests of world crops
• Control of weeds
• Assessment of pest and disease damage
• Epidemiology of pests and diseases in relation to control
• Development of pesticides
• Biorational pesticides
• Effects of plant growth regulators
• Pesticide application methods
• Genetic engineering applications
• Environmental effects of pesticides
• Importance and control of postharvest crop losses
• Economic considerations
• Biological control
• Agronomic control methods
• Integrated control
• Pest management
• Interrelationships between different control strategies
• Abiotic damage
• Food safety


The editors of Crop Protection invite workers concerned with pest, disease and weed control to submit suitable contributions on any topic falling within the aims and scope of the journal.

Please follow these instructions carefully to ensure that the review and publication of your paper is as swift and efficient as possible. These notes may be copied freely.

Types of contribution
Contributions falling into the following categories will be considered for publication:

• Original high-quality research papers (preferably no more than 20 double line spaced manuscript pages, including tables and illustrations)
• Short communications. These should not exceed 8-10 double line spaced manuscript pages excluding references and legends. Submissions should include a short Abstract not exceeding 10% of the length of the communication and which summarizes briefly the main findings of the work to be reported. The bulk of the text may be in a continuous form but generally will follow the usual format that does not require numbered sections such as Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, and Discussion. However, a Cover page, Abstract and a list of Keywords are required at the beginning of the communication and Acknowledgements and References at the end. These components are to be prepared in the same format as used for full-length research papers. Occasionally authors may use sub-titles of their own choice to highlight sections of the text. • Review articles

Crop Protection also publishes, book reviews, conference reports and a calendar of forthcoming events. Please contact one of the Principal Editors.

Submission of manuscripts
PLEASE NOTE: As of January 2006 submission to this journal proceeds totally on-line. Use the following guidelines to prepare your article. Via the homepage of this journal ( http://www.elsevier.com/locate/cropro), you will be guided stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files. Once the uploading is done, our system automatically generates an electronic (PDF) proof, which is then used for reviewing. It is crucial that all graphical elements be uploaded in separate files, so that the PDF is suitable for reviewing. Authors can upload their article as a LaTex, Microsoft (MS) Word, WordPerfect, PostScript or Adobe Acrobat PDF document. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revisions, will be by e-mail.

Prof.W.D. Hutchison (Biological Control and Integrated Management of Arthropod Pests

Prof. J.V. Cross (Pesticide Applications, Entomology, Integrated Pest Management, Tropical Pest Management)

Dr. C. Riches(Weed science, European horticulture and general agronomy

Papers in plant pathology, nematology, agricultural economics and vertebrate control should be sent to one of the above Editors.

Repeat experiments Manuscripts that report original research should not be submitted unless experiments have been repeated at least twice or, in the case of field experiments, relate to two seasons. In most cases, three or more replications will be necessary for appropriate statistical analysis. In exceptional circumstances, studies that do not meet these criteria may be acceptable, but the relevant Principal Editor should be consulted prior to submission.

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the Publisher.

Contributions are normally received with the understanding that they comprise original, unpublished material and are not being submitted for publication elsewhere. Translated material, which has not been published in English, will also be considered. All submissions should be accompanied by a written declaration, signed by all authors, that the paper has not been submitted for consideration elsewhere. Authors are solely responsible for the factual accuracy of their papers. The receipt of manuscripts will be acknowledged.

Author enquiries
For enquiries relating to the submission of articles (including electronic submission where available) please visit this journal's homepage at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/cropro. You can track accepted articles at http://www.elsevier.com/trackarticle and set up e-mail alerts to inform you of when an article's status has changed, as well as copyright information, frequently asked questions and more.

For privacy, information on each article is password-protected. The author should key in the "Our Reference" code (which is in the letter of acknowledgement sent by the publisher on receipt of the accepted article) and the name of the corresponding author.

In case of problems or questions, authors may contact the Author Service Department, E-mail: authors@elsevier.co.uk; Fax: +44 (0) 1865 843905.

Review process
All contributions are reviewed by two or more referees to ensure both accuracy and relevance, and revisions to the script may thus be required. On acceptance, contributions are subject to editorial amendment to suit house style. When a manuscript is returned for revision prior to final acceptance, the revised version must be submitted as soon as possible after the author's receipt of the referee's reports. Revised manuscripts returned after four months will be considered as new submissions subject to full re-review.

Electronic Format Requirements for Accepted Articles
Electronic manuscripts have the advantage that there is no need for rekeying of text, thereby avoiding the possibility of introducing errors and resulting in reliable and fast delivery of proofs.

General points
We accept most wordprocessing formats, but Word, WordPerfect or LaTeX is preferred. Always keep a backup copy of the electronic file for reference and safety. Label storage media with your name, journal title, and software used. Save your files using the default extension of the program used. No changes to the accepted version are permissible without the explicit approval of the Editor.

Wordprocessor documents
It is important that the file be saved in the native format of the wordprocessor used. The text should be in single-column format. Keep the layout of the text as simple as possible. Most formatting codes will be removed and replaced on processing the article. In particular, do not use the wordprocessor's options to justify text or to hyphenate words. However, do use bold face, italics, subscripts, superscripts etc. Do not embed 'graphically designed' equations or tables, but prepare these using the wordprocessor's facility. When preparing tables, if you are using a table grid, use only one grid for each individual table and not a grid for each row. If no grid is used, use tabs, not spaces, to align columns. The electronic text should be prepared in a way very similar to that of conventional manuscripts ( see also the Guide to Publishing with Elsevier: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorshome.authors/howtosubmitpaper). Do not import the figures into the text file but, instead, indicate their approximate locations directly in the electronic text and on the manuscript. To avoid unnecessary errors you are strongly advised to use the 'spellchecker' function of your wordprocessor.

Preparation of manuscripts
1. Manuscripts should be written in English. Authors whose native language is not English are strongly advised to have their manuscripts checked by an English-speaking colleague prior to submission.

Authors in Japan please note: Upon request, Elsevier Japan will provide authors with a list of people who can check and improve the English of their paper (before submission). Please contact our Tokyo office: Elsevier Japan, 4F Higashi-Azabu,1-chome Bldg, 1-9-15, Higashi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0044; Japan; Tel. (+81) 3-5561-5032; Fax: (+81) 3-5561-5045; E-mail: jp.info@elsevier.com.

English language help service: Upon request, Elsevier will direct Authors to an agent who can check and improve the English of their paper (before submission). Please contact www.elsevier.com/locate/elsevierpublishing

2.The manuscript must be accompanied by a covering letter detailing what you are submitting (type of contribution, title, authors' names and affiliation, etc.). Please also indicate the author to whom we should address our correspondence in the case of multiple authors and include a contact address, telephone/fax numbers and e-mail address. Authors are requested to submit, with their manuscripts, the names and addresses of four potential referees.

Authors are asked to submit a short paragraph indicating the novel aspects of their scientific or review contribution and why it is of sufficient international significance to warrant publication in Crop Protection.

3. Manuscripts should be prepared with numbered lines, with wide margins and double spacing throughout, i.e. also for abstracts, footnotes and references.Every page of the manuscript, including the title page, references, tables, etc. should be numbered. Authors are requested to submit, with their manuscripts, the names and contact details of four potential referees. However, in the text no reference should be made to page numbers; if necessary, one may refer to sections. Avoid excessive usage of italics to emphasize part of the text. Manuscripts not conforming to these standards may be returned to the authors for correction.

4. Manuscripts in general should be organized in the following order:
Title (should be clear, descriptive and not too long)
Name(s) of author(s)
Complete postal address(es) of affiliations
Full telephone, E-mail and Fax No. of the corresponding author
Present address(es) of author(s) if applicable
Abstract
Keywords (indexing terms), normally 3-6 items
Introduction
Material and methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion (If needed)
Acknowledgements and any additional information concerning research grants, etc.
References
Tables
Figure captions
Figures

5. In typing the manuscript, titles and subtitles should not be run within the text. They should be typed on a separate line, without indentation. Use lower-case letter type.

6. SI units should be used.

7. If a special instruction to the copy editor or typesetter is written on the copy it should be encircled. The typesetter will then know that the enclosed matter is not to be set in type. When a typewritten character may have more than one meaning (e.g. the lower case letter l may be confused with the numeral 1), a note should be inserted in a circle in the margin to make the meaning clear to the typesetter. If Greek letters or uncommon symbols are used in the manuscript, they should written very clearly, and if necessary a note such as "Greek lower-case chi" should be put in the margin and encircled.

8. Elsevier reserves the privilege of returning to the author for revision accepted manuscripts and illustrations that are not in the proper form given in this guide.

Articles in Special Issues: Please ensure that the words 'this issue' are added (in the list and text) to any references to other articles in this Special Issue.

Abstracts
The abstract should be clear, descriptive and not longer than 400 words.

Tables
1. Authors should take notice of the limitations set by the size and layout of the journal. Large tables should be avoided. Reversing columns and rows will often reduce the dimensions of a table.

2. If many data are to be presented, an attempt should be made to divide them over two or more tables.

3. Tables should be numbered according to their sequence in the text. The text should include references to all tables.

4. Each table should be typewritten on a separate page of the manuscript. Tables should never be included in the text.

5. Each table should have a brief and self-explanatory title.

6. Column headings should be brief, but sufficiently explanatory. Standard abbreviations of units of measurement should be added between parentheses.

7. Vertical lines should not be used to separate columns. Leave some extra space between the columns instead.

8. Any explanation essential to the understanding of the table should be given as a numbered or lettered footnote at the bottom of the table.

Illustrations
1. All illustrations (line drawings and photographs) should be submitted separately and unmounted.

2. Illustrations should be numbered according to their sequence in the text. References should be made in the text to each illustration.

3. Each illustration should be identified by its number and the name of the author. An indication of the top of the illustrations is required in photographs of profiles, thin sections, and other cases where doubt can arise.

4. Illustrations should be designed with the format of the page of the journal in mind. Illustrations should be of such a size as to allow a reduction of 50%.

5. Lettering should be in Indian ink or by printed labels. Make sure that the size of the lettering is big enough to allow a reduction of 50% without becoming illegible. The lettering should be in English. Use the same kind of lettering throughout and follow the style of the journal.

6. If a scale should be given, use bar scales on all illustrations instead of numerical scales that must be changed with reduction.

7. Each illustration should have a caption. The captions to all illustrations should be typed on a separate sheet of the manuscript.

8. Explanations should be given in the typewritten legend. Drawn text in the illustrations should be kept to a minimum.

9. Photographs are only acceptable if they have good contrast and intensity. Sharp and glossy copies are required. Reproductions of photographs already printed cannot be accepted.

Preparation of electronic illustrations


• Always supply high-quality printouts of your artwork, in case conversion of the electronic artwork is problematic.
• Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.
• Save text in illustrations as "graphics" or enclose the font.
• Only use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Helvetica, Times, Symbol.
• Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text.
• Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files, and supply a separate listing of the files and the software used.
• Provide captions to illustrations separately.
• Produce images near to the desired size of the printed version.

A detailed guide on electronic artwork is available on our website: http://authors.elsevier.com/artwork

You are urged to visit this site; some excerpts from the detailed information are given here.

Formats
Regardless of the application used, when your electronic artwork is finalised, please "save as" or convert the images to one of the following formats (Note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below.):

EPS: Vector drawings. Embed the font or save the text as "graphics".
TIFF: Colour or greyscale photographs (halftones): always use a minimum of 300 dpi.
TIFF: Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum of 1000 dpi.
TIFF: Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (colour or greyscale): a minimum of 500 dpi is required.
DOC, XLS or PPT: If your electronic artwork is created in any of these Microsoft Office applications please supply "as is".

Please do not:
• Supply embedded graphics in your wordprocessor (spreadsheet, presentation) document;
• Supply files that are optimised for screen use (like GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG); the resolution is too low;
• Supply files that are too low in resolution;
• Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.

Colour Reproduction

Submit colour illustrations as original photographs, high-quality computer prints or transparencies, close to the size expected in publication, or as 35 mm slides. Polaroid colour prints are not suitable. If, together with your accepted article, you submit usable colour figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in colour on the web (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. For further information on the preparation of electronic artwork, please see http://authors.elsevier.com/artwork.

Please note: Because of technical complications which can arise by converting colour figures to 'grey scale' (for the printed version should you not opt for colour in print) please submit in addition usable black and white prints corresponding to all the colour illustrations.

References
1. All publications cited in the text should be presented in a list of references following the text of the manuscript. The manuscript should be carefully checked to ensure that the spelling of author's names and dates are exactly the same in the text as in the reference list.

2. In the text refer to the author's name (without initial) and year of publication, followed - if necessary - by a short reference to appropriate pages. Examples: "Since Peterson (1988) has shown that..." "This is in agreement with results obtained later (Kramer, 1989, pp. 12-16)". (Give page numbers for books only.)

3. If reference is made in the text to a publication written by more than two authors the name of the first author should be used followed by "et al.". This indication, however, should never be used in the list of references. In this list names of first author and co-authors should be mentioned.

4. References cited together in the text should be arranged chronologically. The list of references should be arranged alphabetically on authors' names, and chronologically per author. If an author's name in the list is also mentioned with co-authors the following order should be used: publications of the single author, arranged according to publication dates - publications of the same author with one co-author - publications of the author with more than one co-author. Publications by the same author(s) in the same year should be listed as 1994a, 1994b, etc.

5. Use the following system for arranging your references:
a. For periodicals
Hettiaratchi, D.R.P., 1993. The development of a powered low draught tine cultivator. Soil Tillage Res. 28, 159-177.
b. For edited symposia, special issues, etc., published in a periodical
Benites, J.R., Ofori, C.S., 1993. Crop production through conservation-effective tillage in the tropics. In: Lal, R. (Ed.), Soil Tillage for Agricultural Sustainability. Proceedings of the 12th Conference of ISTRO, 8-12 July 1991, Ibadan, Nigeria. Soil Tillage Res. 27, 9-33.
c. For books
Russell, E.W., 1973. Soil Conditions and Plant Growth. 10th ed. Langmans, London.
d. For multi-author books
Kuipers, H., Koolen, A.J., 1989. Interface between implements, tillage and soil structure. In: Larson, W.E., Blake, G.R., Allmaras, R.R., Voorhees, W.B., Gupta, S.C. (Eds.), Mechanics and Related Processes in Structured Agricultural Soils, NATO ASI Series E, Vol. 172. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Netherlands, pp. 105-120.

6. Abbreviate the titles of periodicals mentioned in the list of references according to the International List of Periodical Title Word Abbreviations.(http://www.issn.org/lstwa.html).

7. In the case of publications in any language other than English, the original title is to be retained. However, the titles of publications in non-Roman alphabets should be transliterated, and a notation such as "(in Russian)" or "(in Greek, with English abstract)" should be added.

8. Work accepted for publication but not yet published should be referred to as "in press".

9. References concerning unpublished data and "personal communications" should not be cited in the reference list but may be mentioned in the text.

Formulae
1. Formulae should be typewritten, if possible. Leave ample space around the formulae.

2. Subscripts and superscripts should be clear.

3. Greek letters and other non-Roman or handwritten symbols should be explained in the margin where they are first used. Take special care to show clearly the difference between zero (0) and the letter O, and between one (1) and the letter l.

4. Give the meaning of all symbols immediately after the equation in which they are first used.

5. For simple fractions use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line.

6. Equations should be numbered serially at the right-hand side in parentheses. In general only equations explicitly referred to in the text need be numbered.

7. The use of fractional powers instead of root signs is recommended. Also powers of e are often more conveniently denoted by exp.

8. Levels of statistical significance which can be mentioned without further explanation are ^* P<0.05,^** P<0.01 and ^*** P<0.001.

9. In chemical formulae, valence of ions should be given, e.g. as Ca²⁺ and CO₃ ² rather than as Ca⁺⁺ and CO₃ ^--.

10. Isotope numbers should precede the symbols, e.g. ¹⁸O

11. The repeated writing of chemical formulae in the text is to be avoided where reasonably possible; instead, the name of the compound should be given in full. Exceptions may be made in the case of a very long name occurring very frequently or in the case of a compound being described as the end product of a gravimetric determination (e.g phosphate as P₂O₅).

Footnotes
1. Footnotes should only be used if absolutely essential. In most cases it should be possible to incorporate the information in normal text.

2. If used, they should be numbered in the text, indicated by superscript numbers, and kept as short as possible.

Nomenclature
1. Authors and Editor(s) are, by general agreement, obliged to accept the rules governing biological nomenclature, as laid down in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria, and the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

2. All biotica (crops, plants, insects, birds, mammals, etc.) should be identified by their scientific names when the English term is first used, with the exception of common domestic animals.

3. All biocides and other organic compounds must be identified by their Geneva names when first used in the text. Active ingredients of all formulations should be likewise identified.

4. For chemical nomenclature, the conventions of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and the official recommendations of the IUPAC-IUB Combined Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature should be followed where the compound is novel. For compounds more than two years old please use the approved name as given in the Pesticide Manual

Application of pesticides Full details must be given of techniques used to apply pesticides (e.g. type of equipment, type of nozzle, pressure, volume of spray, etc.) and of the amount of active ingredient applied per unit area.

Supplementary data

Elsevier now accepts electronic supplementary material to support and enhance your scientific research. Supplementary files offer the author additional possibilities to publish supporting applications, movies, animation sequences, high-resolution images, background datasets, sound clips and more. Supplementary files supplied will be published online alongside the electronic version of your article in Elsevier web products, including ScienceDirect: http://www.sciencedirect.com. In order to ensure that your submitted material is directly usable, please ensure that data is provided in one of our recommended file formats. Authors should submit the material in electronic format together with the article and supply a concise and descriptive caption for each file. For more detailed instructions please visit our artwork instruction pages at http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions.

Copyright
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to transfer copyright (for more information on copyright see http://authors.elsevier.com). This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. A letter will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript. A form facilitating transfer of copyright will be provided. If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use by authors in these cases: contact ELSEVIER, Rights Department, P.O. Box 800, Oxford, OX5 1DX, UK; phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, e-mail: permissions@elsevier.com

Proofs
When your manuscript is received at the Publisher it is considered to be in its final form. Proofs are not to be regarded as 'drafts'.

One set of page proofs in PDF format will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author, to be checked for typesetting/editing. No changes in, or additions to, the accepted (and subsequently edited) manuscript will be allowed at this stage. Proofreading is solely your responsibility.

A form with queries from the copy editor may accompany your proofs. Please answer all queries and make any corrections or additions required.

The Publisher reserves the right to proceed with publication if corrections are not communicated. Return corrections within two working days of receipt of the proofs. Should there be no corrections, please confirm this.

Elsevier will do everything possible to get your article corrected and published as quickly and accurately as possible. In order to do this we need your help. When you receive the (PDF) proof of your article for correction, it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication. Subsequent corrections will not be possible, so please ensure your first sending is complete. Note that this does not mean you have any less time to make your corrections, just that only one set of corrections will be accepted.

Offprints
The corresponding author, at no cost, will be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail. The PDF file is a watermarked version of the published article and includes a cover sheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining the terms and conditions of use. Additional paper offprints can be ordered by the authors. An order form with prices will be sent to the corresponding author.