Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- DeBach, Paul
- Abstract:
- The Paul H. DeBach Papers document University of California, Riverside professor Paul DeBach's pioneering work in the field of integrated pest management and in the biological control of insect pests and weeds. The collection spans the years 1921-1989 (bulk 1955-1980) and includes research notes, background data, manuscripts, reprints, project plans, progress reports, and correspondence related to DeBach's work in biological control of insects.
- Extent:
- 16.9 linear feet
- Language:
- Collection materials in English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Paul H. DeBach Papers, D-296, Department of Special Collections, General Library, University of California, Davis.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Paul H. DeBach Papers span the years from 1921-1989, with the bulk of the material falling between 1955 and 1980. The collection contains material related to DeBach's work in integrated pest management of insects, particularly of Red Scale and other citrus pests. Also present are drafts of articles and of Biological Control of Insect Pests and Weeds; materials related to DeBach's teaching and departmental involvement at the University of California, Riverside; and a small series of photographs. The bulk of the photographs are illustrations from publications, but there are a few photographs of specimens and of individuals.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Paul H. DeBach (1914-1993) was an internationally recognized proponent of biological insect control. His research on citrus pests was fundamental in preserving the continued health of California citrus crops without reliance on chemical pesticides. DeBach was born in 1914 in Miles City, Montana and moved to southern California at an early age. In 1933, he graduated from Fairfax High School in Hollywood, California and thereafter began his university studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. After two years, he transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where in 1938, he received his B.A. in entomology. During his graduate studies, DeBach worked with Harry Smith at the University of California, Riverside's Citrus Experiment Station. In 1940, DeBach was awarded a Ph.D. in biological control of insect pests.
From 1942-1942, DeBach worked as a junior entomologist with the U.S. Public Health Service. He then worked for the United States Department of Agriculture from 1943-1945, researching control of the white-fringed beetle. Following World War II, DeBach was appointed as an assistant entomologist at the Citrus Experiment Station's Department of Biological Control, where he remained until his retirement in 1983. During this time, he developed the first formal courses offered in biological control at the University of California, Riverside, conducted pioneering research on the biological control of citrus pests, and revised and clarified the taxonomy of parasitic wasps.
Paul DeBach's primary research interests were control of citrus pests, particularly scale insects, whiteflies, and mealybugs. He took part in extensive foreign exploration to seek out natural enemies of California citrus pests, and successfully established many new species of predaceous beetles and wasps. During the 1960s and 1970s, DeBach was an active participant in the development and work of the International Biological Program's Integrated Pest Management Program. The United States Department of Agriculture and nineteen universities participated in the program, which aimed to reduce reliance on conventional pesticides.
In addition to his research and teaching, Paul DeBach was the principal editor of and author of several chapters in Biological Control of Insect Pests and Weeds (1964). The book has since become the classic text on biological control. DeBach also published Biological Control of Natural Enemies (1991), which he wrote for a non-academic audience. Paul DeBach died at his home in Laguna, California in 1993.
Source: Gordh, Gordon, Huffaker, C.B., and Luck, Robert F. "Paul Hevener DeBach, Biological Control: Riverside." University of California: In Memoriam. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Paul H. DeBach to the University of California, Riverside Department of Entomology. Transferred from the University of California, Riverside to Special Collections at the University of California, Davis in 1989 and 1990.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is arranged in five series: 1. Biographical Materials, 2. Correspondence, 3. Writings, 4. Research Files, and 5. Photographs.
- Physical location:
- Researchers should contact Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17, of the U.S. Code. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections, University of California, Library, Davis as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Paul H. DeBach Papers, D-296, Department of Special Collections, General Library, University of California, Davis.
- Location of this collection:
-
University of California, Davis, Special Collections, UC Davis Library100 NW QuadDavis, CA 95616-5292, US
- Contact:
- (530) 752-1621