Botanical Pesticides and Their Mode of Action

Pest management is facing economic and ecological challenge worldwide due to human and environmental hazards caused by majority of the synthetic pesticide chemicals. Identification of novel effective insecticidal compounds is essential to combat increasing resistance rates. Botanical pesticides have long been touted as attractive alternatives to synthetic chemical pesticides for pest management because botanicals reputedly pose little threat to the environment or to human health. The body of scientific literature documenting bioactivity of plant derivatives to arthropod pests continues to expand, yet only a handful of botanicals are currently used in agriculture in the industrialized world, and there are few prospects for commercial development of new botanical products. Pyrethrum and neem are well established commercially, pesticides based on plant essential oils have entered the marketplace, and the use of rotenone appears to be waning. A number of plant substances have been considered for use as pest antifeedants, repellents and toxicants, but apart from some natural mosquito repellents, a little commercial success has ensued for plant substances that modify arthropod behavior. Several factors appear to limit the success of botanicals, most notably regulatory barriers and the availability of competing products (newer synthetics and fermentation products) that are cost-effective and relatively safe compared with their predecessors. In the context of agricultural pest management, botanical pesticides are best suited for use in organic food production in industrialized countries but can play a much greater role in the production and postharvest protection of food in developing countries. Botanicals have been in use for a long time for pest control. The compounds offer many environmental advantages. However, their uses during the 20th century have been rather marginal compared with other bio-control methods of pests and pathogens. Improvement in the understanding of plant allelochemical mechanisms of activity offer new prospects for using these substances in crop protection. I’m trying in this article to present different kinds of botanical pesticides came from different recourses and their mode of actions as well as I will try to examine the reasons behind their limited use (disadvantages) and the actual crop protection developments involving biopesticides of plant origin for organic or traditional agricultures to keep our environment clean and safer for humankind and animals.     

Global crop production and the efficacy of crop protection - current situation and future trends

Actual and potential crop losses of eight major food and cash crops have been estimated by evaluating data from literature and field experiments. Total losses were calculated from yield reductions due to pathogens, animal pests and weeds on a regional, continental and global level. Since 1965, worldwide production of most crops has increased considerably. Simultaneously, crop losses in wheat, potatoes, barley and rice increased by 4 to 10 percent, in maize, soybean, cotton and coffee losses remained unchanged or slightly decreased. The efficacy of crop protection practices was calculated as the percentage of potential losses prevented by control. The efficacy is highest in cotton (55 percent), it reaches only 34 to 38 percent in the food crops rice, wheat and maize. The variability among cropping areas is high: In Western Europe, 61 percent of potential crop losses is prevented, in North America and Oceania 44, in all other regions 38 percent. Due to the small share of Western Europe in worldwide production of 8 percent, the efficacy of actual crop protection worldwide is only 40 percent.In view of population growth and rising food demand crop production has to be increased substantially. As potential loss rates often increase with attainable yields high productivity largely depends on effective crop protection management. Scenarios for the production of food crops by the year 2025 in developed and in developing countries are given. Recent and future developments in crop protection can contribute to establish sustainability in agriculture and to preserve natural resources. However, although effective control methods have been developed for most biotic yield constraints, the use of crop protection products is regulated by economic considerations rather than by food demand.     

Combining novel monitoring tools and precision application technologies for integrated high-tech crop protection in the future (a discussion document)

The possibility of combining novel monitoring techniques and precision spraying for crop protection in the future is discussed. A generic model for an innovative crop protection system has been used as a framework. This system will be able to monitor the entire cropping system and identify the presence of relevant pests, diseases and weeds online, and will be location specific. The system will offer prevention, monitoring, interpretation and action which will be performed in a continuous way. The monitoring is divided into several parts. Planting material, seeds and soil should be monitored for prevention purposes before the growing period to avoid, for example, the introduction of disease into the field and to ensure optimal growth conditions. Data from previous growing seasons, such as the location of weeds and previous diseases, should also be included. During the growing season, the crop will be monitored at a macroscale level until a location that needs special attention is identified. If relevant, this area will be monitored more intensively at a microscale level. A decision engine will analyse the data and offer advice on how to control the detected diseases, pests and weeds, using precision spray techniques or alternative measures. The goal is to provide tools that are able to produce high-quality products with the minimal use of conventional plant protection products. This review describes the technologies that can be used or that need further development in order to achieve this goal.     

Decision support systems used in the Netherlands for reduction in the input of active substances in agriculture

Since the middle of the 1980s, Dutch farmers have been using decision support systems (DSS) as an aid in the control of pests. This started with EPIPRE, then weather-related potato blight warning systems were developed (Prophy and Plant-Plus). In the 1990s, many weather-based DSS were developed against pests of orchards, flower bulbs, arable crops and field-produced vegetables. Also, a DSS was developed to predict and check the effect of meteorological conditions on the effectiveness of application timing of plant protection products (GEWIS). The use of these systems resulted in more sustainable crop protection: sustainable because the use of DSS led to a lower risk of crop damage and, in many cases, to a lower input of active substances, by optimization of the product and dose to actual phytosanitary and meteorological conditions. The use of GEWIS to ensure application at the right time of day further reduced the input of active substances and increased efficacy.     

Climate change: a crop protection challenge for the twenty-first century

Convincing data now show that temperatures are increasing, and that changing precipitation patterns are already affecting agriculture. Predicted future impacts vary by region, but all are projected to suffer productivity declines by the late twenty-first century unless successful mitigation measures are implemented soon. Exacerbating the climate change challenge, doubling of overall crop productivity will be required by mid-century. Clearly, crop protection will become increasingly difficult as higher-yielding varieties present a larger and more tempting target to all pests, and the pests themselves extend their ranges poleward and into other new geographies owing to reduced winter kill and longer growing seasons. Fortunately, good progress on enhancing crop protection technology to meet these challenges is already being made, but the scope of this climatic provocation is such that complacency is not an option. Increased investment into new technologies and adoption of new agricultural practices with improved adaptive and mitigation potential are both essential.     

Plant training for induced defense against insect pests: a promising tool for integrated pest management in cotton

Enhancing cotton pest management using plant natural defenses has been described as a promising way to improve the management of crop pests. We here reviewed various studies on cotton growing systems to illustrate how an ancient technique called plant training, which includes plant topping and pruning, may contribute to this goal. Using examples from cotton crops, we show how trained plants can be brought to a state of enhanced defense that causes faster and more robust activation of their defense responses. We revisit the agricultural benefits associated with this technique in cotton crops, with a focus on its potential as a supplementary tool for integrated pest management (IPM). In particular, we examine its role in mediating plant interactions with conspecific neighboring plants, pests and associated natural enemies. We propose a new IPM tool, plant training for induced defense, which involves inducing plant defense through artificial injury. Experimental evidence from various studies shows that cotton training is a promising technique, particularly for smallholders, which can be used as part of an IPM program to significantly reduce insecticide use and to improve productivity in cotton farming. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Removing constraints to sustainable food production: new ways to exploit secondary metabolism from companion planting and GM

The entire process of agricultural and horticultural food production is unsustainable as practiced by current highly intensive industrial systems. Energy consumption is particularly intensive for cultivation, and for fertilizer production and its incorporation into soil. Provision of nitrogen contributes a major source of the greenhouse gas, N₂O. All losses due to pests, diseases and weeds are of food for which the carbon footprint has already been committed and so crop protection becomes an even greater concern. The rapidly increasing global need for food and the aggravation of associated problems by the effects of climate change create a need for new and sustainable crop protection. The overall requirement for sustainability is to remove seasonal inputs, and consequently all crop protection will need to be delivered via the seed or other planting material. Although genetic modification (GM) has transformed the prospects of sustainable crop protection, considerably more development is essential for the realisation of the full potential of GM and thereby consumer acceptability. Secondary plant metabolism offers wider and perhaps more robust new crop protection via GM and can be accomplished without associated yield loss because of the low level of photosynthate diverted for plant defence by secondary metabolism. Toxic mechanisms can continue to be targeted but exploiting non‐toxic regulatory and signalling mechanisms should be the ultimate objective. There are many problems facing these proposals, both technical and social, and these are discussed but it is certainly not possible to stay where we are in terms of sustainability. The evidence for success is mounting and the technical opportunities from secondary plant metabolism are discussed here. © 2019 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Induced plant defences in biological control of arthropod pests: a double‐edged sword

Biological control is an important ecosystem service delivered by natural enemies. Together with breeding for plant defence, it constitutes one of the most promising alternatives to pesticides for controlling herbivores in sustainable crop production. Especially induced plant defences may be promising targets in plant breeding for resistance against arthropod pests. Because they are activated upon herbivore damage, costs are only incurred when defence is needed. Moreover, they can be more specific than constitutive defences. Nevertheless, inducible defence traits that are harming plant pest organisms may interfere with biological control agents, such as predators and parasitoids. Despite the vast fundamental knowledge on plant defence mechanisms and their effects on natural enemies, our understanding of the feasibility of combining biological control with induced plant defence in practice is relatively poor. In this review, we focus on arthropod pest control and present the most important features of biological control with natural enemies and of induced plant defence. Furthermore, we show potential synergies and conflicts among them and, finally, identify gaps and list opportunities for their combined use in crop protection. We suggest that breeders should focus on inducible resistance traits that are compatible with the natural enemies of arthropod pests, specifically traits that help communities of natural enemies to build up. © 2017 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Effects of nozzle type and spray angle on spray deposition in ivy pot plants

BACKGROUND: Fewer plant protection products are now authorised for use in ornamental growings. Frequent spraying with the same product or a suboptimal technique can lead to resistance in pests and diseases. Better application techniques could improve the sustainable use of the plant protection products still available. Spray boom systems—instead of the still predominantly used spray guns—might improve crop protection management in greenhouses considerably. The effect of nozzle type, spray pressure and spray angle on spray deposition and coverage in ivy pot plants was studied, with a focus on crop penetration and spraying the bottom side of the leaves in this dense crop. RESULTS: The experiments showed a significant and important effect of collector position on deposition and coverage in the plant. Although spray deposition and coverage on the bottom side of the leaves are generally low, they could be improved 3.0–4.9‐fold using the appropriate application technique. CONCLUSIONS: When using a spray boom in a dense crop, the nozzle choice, spray pressure and spray angle should be well considered. The hollow‐cone, the air‐inclusion flat‐fan and the standard flat‐fan nozzle with an inclined spray angle performed best because of the effect of swirling droplets, droplets with a high momentum and droplet direction respectively. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

植保无人飞机低空低容量喷雾技术应用与展望

近十年来,我国植保无人飞机迅猛发展,应用的农作物范围越来越广,不仅在水稻、小麦、玉米等主要粮食作物得到了应用,在橡胶、槟榔等高大植株的病虫害防治中更有其独特优势,已经初步形成了我国植保无人飞机低空低容量喷雾的喷头配置、配套药剂、飞防助剂、作业参数等技术体系,对于重要农作物病虫害如稻纵卷叶螟、水稻纹枯病、小麦蚜虫、玉米黏虫等防治效果均在80%以上,在各地病虫害防控中发挥了重要作用。但是,植保无人飞机喷雾作业过程中,还存在炸机或失控、雾滴飘移药害、药液分层结块、防治效果不稳定等问题。通过汇总分析植保无人飞机在重要病虫草害防治工作的成功经验和安全事故,本文提出植保无人飞机低容量喷雾技术将会得到更广泛的应用,植保无人飞机专用药剂和配套助剂、变量施药、多传感器数据融合、多机协同、精准施药、施药标准和规范等都将得到长足的发展,为现代农业和智慧农业发展提供技术支持。     

Potential and actual uses of zeolites in crop protection

In this review, it is demonstrated that zeolites have a potential to be used as crop protection agents. Similarly to kaolin, zeolites can be applied as particle films against pests and diseases. Their honeycomb framework, together with their carbon dioxide sorption capacity and their heat stress reduction capacity, makes them suitable as a leaf coating product. Furthermore, their water sorption capacity and their smaller particle sizes make them effective against fungal diseases and insect pests. Finally, these properties also ensure that zeolites can act as carriers of different active substances, which makes it possible to use zeolites for slow‐release applications. Based on the literature, a general overview is provided of the different basic properties of zeolites as promising products in crop protection. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

植物之间互作效应及其生理机制

在分析不同植物互作效应的基础上,就互作效应在农林复合系统中对植物体内养分、土壤养分有效性及植物生物学产量等的影响进行了概述,(1)互作促进了植物根系生长,使植物根系表现出较强的竞争作用,也有利于根系间的养分竞争;(2)植物之间的他感作用普遍存在于自然生态系统及栽培生态系统中,在植物资源配置时应充分利用这种相生相克作用;(3)互作促使植物体内的养分转移,改善体内的养分状况,达到植物之间养分互补;(4)互作可以有效地提高土壤肥力,改善土壤的养分状况和根际养分吸收环境,维持植物生产力;(5)互作能更有效地利用光、热、水、土和养分等资源,并减轻病虫危害,表现出明显的产量优势。在豆科与非豆科植物互作中,豆科植物的生物固氮作用为其互作植物提供了氮素营养保证,这种形式互作的产量优势通常在缺氮情况下表现更为明显。     

农业害虫高温调控的研究进展

利用高温控制害虫具有无残留、无污染的优点,高温对害虫的致死作用在害虫种群生态调控研究和保证食品安全,促进绿色农产品生产中有潜在的应用价值。本文综述了国内外影响高温对昆虫致死效应的因子和应用高温防治害虫的技术方法。影响高温致死效率的因子包括:温度的高低和处理时间的长短,不同温度的处理顺序和预适应温度等温度处理模式,缺氧等逆境胁迫,昆虫种类及其发育阶段等。利用高温防治害虫的技术包括:温室内,在生长期采用高温闷棚,在播前产后用热蒸汽处理苗床或培养土。在田间,利用对作物安全的瞬间明火烧伤害虫敏感部位;利用害虫的趋光性点明火诱杀;作物生产空闲期采取覆膜封闭,利用太阳能产生高温、缺氧条件,减少或根除土传病菌和害虫。在仓库,利用微波、无线射频或流动床产生的热空气在短时间内升温,杀死储粮害虫。在储运场所,用热水浸泡、热蒸汽熏蒸、高温结合低氧或低温以及盐水浴结合无线射频处理鲜活农产品,杀死害虫。本文最后讨论了该领域存在的问题,指出阐明高温对昆虫影响的机理,降低防治成本,减轻作物和环境损害,是高温控制害虫技术推广应用的关键。     

Natural products in plant protection

Natural products can be used to control pests and diseases in crops. These products include anorganic compounds, but also a variety of plant extracts. In the beginning of this century active microbial extracts were discovered as well. Synthetic crop protection chemicals were developed from about 1940 onwards and sustained progress in modern agriculture. The first generation chemicals have aspecific modes of toxic action and are in many instances deleterious to the environment. The second generation chemicals have specific modes of action and meet modern environmental requirements. A disadvantage of these chemicals is the potency of target organisms to acquire resistance. This condition urged agrochemical industry to develop chemicals with new modes of action. Such chemicals can be developed by using natural bioactive products as leads in synthesis programmes. This paper decribes the progress that was made in the development of natural bioactive compounds in pest and disease control.     

Natural products in plant protection

Natural products can be used to control pests and diseases in crops. These products include anorganic compounds, but also a variety of plant extracts. In the beginning of this century active microbial extracts were discovered as well. Synthetic crop protection chemicals were developed from about 1940 onwards and sustained progress in modern agriculture. The first generation chemicals have aspecific modes of toxic action and are in many instances deleterious to the environment. The second generation chemicals have specific modes of action and meet modern environmental requirements. A disadvantage of these chemicals is the potency of target organisms to acquire resistance. This condition urged agrochemical industry to develop chemicals with new modes of action. Such chemicals can be developed by using natural bioactive products as leads in synthesis programmes.This paper decribes the progress that was made in the development of natural bioactive compounds in pest and disease control.     

我国近年植保研究工作的重大进展

介绍了我国近年植保学科领域在重要农作物病虫发生机制及控制技术、农作物病虫监测技术、超常规培育 抗性品种、人为增加天敌控制作用以及农药研究与应用等方面取得的重大成果和重要进展。     

显花植物在提高节肢动物天敌控制害虫中的生态功能

由于农业集约化生产引起的非作物生境减少和农业化学品的过量使用减弱了农田生态系统中害虫天敌的自然控制作用。合理而有效地利用显花植物可以为害虫天敌提供食物来源和庇护场所,从而能有效地提高天敌对害虫的自然控制能力、减少化学农药的使用量。本文综述了显花植物对天敌种群的促进作用及其在果园、蔬菜和粮食作物等害虫防治中应用的最新进展,同时对进一步利用显花植物提高农业生态系统稳定性的发展方向进行了讨论。     

1991—2010 年中国主要粮食作物生物灾害发生特征分析

生物灾害发生种类繁多和暴发频繁,是威胁我国粮食安全生产的重要因素。利用中国植物保护统计数据、粮食作物产量数据和农田土地覆盖类型分布遥感数据,重点分析中国1991年到2010年20年期间四类重要粮食作物病虫害发生面积和发生强度的变化趋势,以及其空间分布范围。结果表明：从1991年到2010年水稻、玉米和大豆病虫害发生面积均显著增加;水稻、小麦、玉米和大豆病虫害发生强度均显著增加。随着粮食作物病虫害发生面积增大,其发生强度均呈增加趋势。病害与虫害相比,无论是发生面积,还是发生强度,粮食作物的虫害均高于病害。粮食作物病虫害主要分布在我国中东部的粮食主产区,西部地区主要粮食作物病虫害发生相对较轻。为了有效地防止或减少病虫害等生物灾害对粮食生产安全的影响,目前应当加强农田景观变化和气候变化等对粮食农作物病虫害的影响诊断、发生与灾变的风险评估和监测预警,改善农田生态环境,开展区域性农田生态系统病虫害整合治理研究,并建立相应的对策。     

Cropping systems modify soil biota effects on wheat (Triticum aestivum) growth and competitive ability

Plants alter soil biota which subsequently modifies plant growth, plant–plant interactions and plant community dynamics. While much research has been conducted on the magnitude and importance of soil biota effects (SBEs) in natural systems, little is known in agro‐ecosystems. We investigated whether agricultural management systems could affect SBEs impacts on crop growth and crop–weed competition. Utilising soil collected from eight paired farms, we evaluated the extent to which SBEs differed between conventional and organic farming systems. Soils were conditioned by growing two common annual weeds: Amaranthus retroflexus (redroot pigweed) or Avena fatua (wild oat). Soil biota effects were measured in wheat (Triticum aestivum) growth and crop–weed competition, with SBEs calculated as the natural log of plant biomass in pots inoculated with living soil divided by the plant biomass in pots inoculated with sterilised soil. SBEs were generally more positive when soil inoculum was collected from organic farms compared with conventional farms, suggesting that cropping systems modify the relative abundance of mutualistic and pathogenic organisms responsible for the observed SBEs. Also, as feedbacks became more positive, crop–weed competition decreased and facilitation increased. In annual cropping systems, SBEs can alter plant growth and crop–weed competition. By identifying the management practices that promote positive SBEs, producers can minimise the impacts of crop–weed competition and decrease their reliance on off‐farm chemical and mechanical inputs to control weeds, enhancing agroecosystem sustainability.     

Mechanism of plant–microbe interaction and its utilization in disease-resistance breeding for modern agriculture

Plant diseases pose a major and constant threat to crop production and food security in modern agriculture. While application of pesticides can be a cost to the environment and human health, development and utilization of resistant cultivars is the most effective, economical, and eco-friendly approach to disease control. Using resistant cultivars is especially important for organic agriculture. Increasing breakthroughs have been made in understanding the mechanism of plant–microbe interaction. A current challenge now is how to apply the new knowledge to more effectively create disease-resistant crop cultivars. Integration of plant breeding and plant pathology is necessary to underpin crop improvement for food and other plant-based production. In this review, we summarize our current understanding on the mechanism of plant–microbe interaction and discuss the strategies for disease-resistance breeding of crop cultivars.