The general topics of this SIP-IOBC joint meeting held in Valencia, Spain, covered diverse aspects of biological control of invertebrates including insects, arachnids and nematodes, by using viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes and other invertebrate pathogens. The meeting had a special focus on Integrated Pest Management strategies implementing Microbial Control Agents (MCAs). MCAs are facing new opportunities and new challenges in a worldwide endeavour to reduce the use of chemical pesticides, playing a more significant role in agricultural, horticultural and forestry practices.
This meeting served several purposes. Firstly, to publicise the latest advances in applied Invertebrate Pathology and, secondly, to facilitate the exchange of ideas and opinions among researchers and other technical specialists in academia and the expanding biopesticide industry.
The congress followed the model of its previous counterparts, with plenary lectures, symposia, oral sessions (318 presentations), poster sessions (185 posters), divisions and WG meetings. The number of participants was 478, with 55 countries represented.
The Society for Invertebrate Pathology (SIP) was founded in 1967 as an interdisciplinary scientific society assemble members from diverse scientific backgrounds all over the world under the unified discipline of invertebrate pathology.
The International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control (IOBC) Working Group ‘Microbial and Nematode Control of Invertebrate pests’ was founded in 1985 in Europe, as a forum for scientists in the field of insect pathology.
The goal of the SIP and the IOBC Group is to offer a forum for exchange of information and to stimulate cooperation between scientists in the field of invertebrate pathology. In 2019, the two Societies held the first joint SIP/IOBC meeting in Valencia (Spain) as ‘The 2019 International Congress on Invertebrate Pathology and Microbial Control: 52nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology and 17th Meeting of the IOBC-WPRS Working Group ‘Microbial and Nematode Control of Invertebrate pests’ (local organisers proff. Juan Ferré and Baltasar Escriche).
This Special Issue of Biocontrol Science and Technology includes a selection of 14 review and research papers. We thank the Taylor & Francis Group for publishing this Special Issue on SIP-IOBC Joint Meeting 2019.