Biopesticides – towards increased consumer safety in the European Union

The introduction of new food safety regulations in the European Union has resulted in the withdrawal of many synthetic active substances used in plant protection products, in light of their potential or actual harmful effect on human and animal health, as well as on the environment. Alternatives to these compounds are being developed – naturally occurring pesticides, also referred to as biopesticides. The use of biopesticides in crop protection leads to decreased levels of pesticide residues in foods, and as a result to lower risk levels for the consumer. Biologically active agents defined as biopesticides are varied, and therefore application of the same environmental and consumer safety criteria to all of them is impossible. This presents serious complications in the approval of these pesticides as active plant protection products and in their registration. It needs to be stressed that, in the registration procedure of the European Union, biopesticides are subject to the same regulations as synthetic active substances. This situation has resulted in the need to introduce numerous new provisions in the legislation, as well as the preparation of new guidelines facilitating the registration of biopesticides. These activities aim to promote naturally originating pesticides. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Determinants of farmers’ decisions on pesticide use in oriental tobacco: a survey of common practices

Information about pesticide use and perceptions of their risks among farmers is important for identifying problems associated with pest-control decisions and developing appropriate management practices in given crops. In tobacco, a plant sensitive to many pests and diseases, such information is lacking. The patterns of pesticide use in oriental tobacco, as well as the most important factors for farmers’ decisions relating to chemical pest control were studied among randomly selected farmers in northern Greece on the basis of self-reported information acquired through a pre-tested questionnaire. High reliance of farmers on pesticides and field use of all well-known classes of chemical pesticides were reported. While all the active ingredients reported were registered for pest control in tobacco, they differed considerably in terms of toxicity. A normal cropping season received at least 14–16 pesticide applications for soil disinfection, pest control, and weed control. Most farmers stated that they usually spray chemicals on a calendar basis or on the first appearance of a pest. Efficacy on target pests and market price of the pesticide products to be used were the most important criteria for selection of pesticides, i.e. products that are considered to be highly effective and/or that are cheap are more likely to be selected. Better-educated and more experienced farmers were found to pay more attention to environmental safety and pesticide toxicity. Most farmers felt that pesticide use can reduce crop damage by more than 75%, assuring high yields. Main determinants of pesticide use were primarily the fear of severe yield and economic losses and the doubts about the effectiveness and the correct implementation of alternative pest-control methods. Pesticide use could be reduced by exposing farmers to improved pest-control practices such as site-specific integrated pest management.     

Regulation of semiochemicals — global aspects

A general awareness of environmental concerns, an increasing chemophobic populace and the reregistration of pesticides, both in the United States and in the European Community, with the concomitant loss of many pest control chemicals through cancellation of their registrations has provided an impetus for the research, development and commercialization of alternative, environmentally benign and safer plant protection products. Amongst such alternatives are pheromones, a class of semiochemicals whose commercial development is being championed by a neophyte industry made up, for the most part, of undercapitalized entrepreneurial companies for whom the major hurdle to the introduction of products into the marketplace is the time and cost required to complete the regulatory process. That pheromones and other semiochemicals are different from chemical insecticides has been recognized by several national regulatory agencies and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations [FAO]. Although these regulatory authorities have made significant contributions towards reducing the data requirements and hence the cost of pheromone product registration, it is widely felt that more can, and should be done to further expedite and harmonize pheromone regulation. The adoption of a structure/activity approach to the evaluation of health and environmental risks for types of lepidopteran pheromones together with a 90-day evaluation time-frame. This approach would satisfy the regulatory authorities' risk assessment for food and environmental safety while substantially reducing the cost to the registrants and expediting the registration. It is proposed that this approach be tested first in an actual product application to the US Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], with subsequent applications to other regulatory authorities. A database which could be modified already exists within the EPA and as other databases are incorporated, and shared with other regulatory authorities, harmonization of the regulation of pheromones may be possible. The application of this structure/activity approach should be expanded to other types of semiochemicals as the database is enlarged.     

微生物农药管理现状与展望

微生物农药,是指利用微生物或其代谢产物来防治危害农业的病、虫、草、鼠等有害生物以保护或促进植物生长的生防制剂。近几年来,由于化学农药的滥用,使得害虫抗药性、农药残留、环境污染等问题日益严峻,而作为化学农药替代品的微生物农药则发挥着越来越重要的作用。本文重点回顾了国内外微生物农药登记管理的发展历程,总结了各国微生物农药登记管理的资料要求,结合我国农业生产现状,分析了我国微生物农药登记管理的现状,为进一步完善我国微生物农药登记管理工作提出了建议。     

Registration of mixed formulations of pesticides

Applying pesticides in mixture can bring about an increased level of performance which can be of benefit to manufacturers who make use of this phenomenon when formulating products. The interactions that occur can also bring about adverse effects on performance and possibly on the safety of the product to users, consumers and the environment. Because of this a product containing a mixture of active substances must be considered by registration authorities. Each discipline in the regulatory process must consider the likelihood of an interaction occurring and, as a result, request and examine the necessary data to support approval for that mixed product. Within the European Community the requirements are laid down in Directives that have been introduced to harmonise the regulatory process across Member States. The requirements of these Directives are described as an example of the regulatory process. © Crown copyright 1999. Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office     

Biopesticide based sustainable pest management for safer production of vegetable legumes and brassicas in Asia and Africa

Vegetables are one of the important crops which could alleviate poverty and malnutrition among the smallholder farmers in tropical Asia and Africa. However, a plethora of pests limit the productivity of these crops, leading to economic losses. Vegetable producers overwhelmingly rely on chemical pesticides in order to reduce pest‐caused economic losses. However, over‐reliance on chemical pesticides poses serious threats to human and environmental health. Hence, biopesticides offer a viable alternative to chemical pesticides in sustainable pest management programs. Baculoviruses such as nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) and granulovirus (GV) have been exploited as successful biological pesticides in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Maruca vitrata multiple nucleocapsid NPV (MaviMNPV) was found to be a unique baculovirus specifically infecting pod borer on food legumes, and it has been successfully developed as a biopesticide in Asia and Africa. Entomopathogenic fungi also offer sustainable pest management options. Several strains of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana have been tested and developed as biopesticides in Asia and Africa. This review specifically focuses on the discovery and development of entomopathogenic virus and fungi‐based biopesticides against major pests of vegetable legumes and brassicas in Asia and Africa. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Global developments in biological control and the implications for Europe1

Developed and developing countries, for a range of reasons, have strongly endorsed an IPM approach to sustainable pest management. IPM is founded on the self-renewing contribution of natural enemies to pest suppression, or biological control. However, many pests today escape such natural control because they are exotic introductions, and for these pests the introduction of specific biological control agents is a proven and valuable technique. With growing exotic pest problems in agriculture and forestry, due both to increased trade and to the policy of the WTO, with new concern for exotic invasive species affecting biodiversity, and with a booming biocontrol industry, there is a rapid growth of interest in introduced biological control agents (including biopesticides, which are generally still not acknowledged as introductions). To meet this demand for biological control introductions, it is necessary to address issues of research, safety and the rights of governments and peoples to their genetic resources. By and large, Europe has not done this, and this is proving both an opportunity for environmental accidents and a disincentive for sustainable agriculture and conservation.     

Prospects and progress for Bacillus thuringiensis-based pesticides

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)-based insecticide products constitute the overwhelming majority of biopesticides but, despite having been commercially available for over 30 years, they have made little impact (<1%) on the crop-protection market as a whole. This has been largely due to poor cost-performance factors relative to synthetic organic pesticides. However, recent biotechnological advances—including genetic modification—combined with a variety of emerging opportunities, have created the prospect of the commercialisation of a new range of highly effective Bt-based biopesticides. Bioencapsulation of single-gene products—delta-endotoxins from selected Bt isolates—in killed Pseudomonad cells (Mycogen Corporation's ‘CellCap’ technology), offers a flexible delivery system with enhanced persistence. This versatile approach selects only the most appropriate biotoxins, which can be used to target a number of pest species. It is anticipated that Bt-based pesticides will continue to fill an increasing number of gaps in the panoply of synthetic crop-protection chemicals. Genetically modified products offer advantages in terms of efficacy, flexibility and safety but public concerns regarding perceived risks need to be addressed.     

我国生物农药登记管理情况分析

生物农药包括生物化学农药、微生物农药、植物源农药,近年来尽管在整个农药产业中所占的比例还较低,但生物农药总体势头发展良好,且在减少化学农药使用、保障农产品质量安全和生态环境安全及特色农作物的有害生物防控中发挥了重要的积极作用.本文对我国生物农药登记管理的基本情况、产业发展取得的主要成效和当前发展中存在问题等进行了详细梳...     

我国高风险农药管理进展与趋势

高风险农药是社会关注的热点,也是农药管理的重点。本文从技术和管理两个层面论述了我国农药管理的现状与趋势。从技术上看,把安全性作为农药登记技术评估的焦点,从源头提高登记门槛,建立农药风险评估机制,推进残留标准体系化建设,严控有害杂质和启动助剂管理,确保农药质量;从政策上看,对高风险农药源头管控力度日趋强化,扩大禁限用范围,加强潜在风险产品和剂型的管控,监管链条初具雏形。农药发展趋势是强化安全与环保要求,鼓励开发低风险产品,推进先进环保施药技术,促进社会诚信风尚。     

Pesticidal natural products – status and future potential

There is a long history of using natural products as the basis for creating new pesticides but there is still a relatively low percentage of naturally derived pesticides relative to the number of pharmaceuticals derived from natural sources. Biopesticides as defined and regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been around for 70 years, starting with Bacillus thuringiensis, but they are experiencing rapid growth as the products have got better and more science‐based, and there are more restrictions on synthetic chemical pesticides. As such, biopesticides are still a small percentage (approximately US$3–4 billion) of the US$61.3 billion pesticide market. The growth of biopesticides is projected to outpace that of chemical pesticides, with compounded annual growth rates of between 10% and 20%. When integrated into crop production and pest management programs, biopesticides offer the potential for higher crop yields and quality than chemical‐only programs. Added benefits include reduction or elimination of chemical residues, therefore easing export, enabling delay in the development of resistance by pests and pathogens to chemicals and shorter field re‐entry, biodegradability and production using agricultural raw materials versus fossil fuels, and low risk to non‐target organisms, including pollinators. Challenges to the adoption of biopesticides include lack of awareness and education in how to deploy their unique modes of action in integrated programs, testing products alone versus in integrated programs, and lingering perceptions of cost and efficacy. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

A Bayesian approach to the analysis of environmental fate and behaviour data for pesticide registration

With the harmonisation of data requirements for pesticide registration under EC Directive 91/414 there is need for progress on the techniques used to analyse such data and so help make consistent the judgements applied by national regulatory authorities. This paper proposes a Bayesian technique for combining data from environmental fate and behaviour studies of pesticides in soil. The method uses expert knowledge, based on degradation and adsorption data, and logistic regression methods to form a prior probability distribution for the probability that a given compound leaches. Results from lysimeter experiments are used update the prior knowledge. Data for the compounds bentazone and triclopyr are used to illustrate the techniques. The advantages of the methodology and its implications for the pesticide registration procedure are discussed in the light of possible advances using modern Bayesian statistical techniques and mathematical models. © 1998 Society of Chemical Industry     

Differences in the progress of the biopesticide revolution between the EU and other major crop‐growing regions

The five‐year value in the compound annual growth rate of the biopesticides sector is predicted to be 16% by 2017 and to produce a global market worth $US 10 billion. Despite this, several impediments occur within the EU that negatively affect biopesticide research and innovation. At present, there are fewer biopesticide‐active substances registered in the EU compared with the United States, India, Brazil and China. The relatively low level of biopesticide research in the EU (6880 ISI papers) versus the United States (18 839), India (9501) and China (7875) relates to the greater complexity of EU‐based biopesticide regulations compared with these other countries. In this light, it is worth noting that tensions may exist between regulators that emphasise the beneficial nature of biopesticides in environmentally friendly crop management and those that adopt a more technologically based approach dependent on a chemical‐pesticide‐driven model. Compared with the other aforementioned countries, far fewer biopesticide products are available in the EU market, mainly as a direct result of the severe regulatory factors present there. The extent to which this trend will continue depends largely on a range of interacting political and/or regulatory decisions that influence environmentally friendly agricultural industries. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

试论农业害虫的自然控制

作者根据水稻、棉花、玉米、小麦、油菜、果树和蔬菜等的重要害虫几十年的防治经验，论述了农业害虫自然控制因素的作用和自控措施。这些措施包括作物耐抗性的利用、植物性杀虫剂的利用、昆虫行为和习性的利用、天敌资源的保护利用、农业措施的利用以及农业害虫的综合自控技术。依据可持续农业的发展要求，讨论了在农业害虫的治理中应充分重视和利用一切自然控制因素     

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.     

美国IR-4项目“特色作物农药使用管理”简介

IR-4项目是美国农业部为了解决小作物农药使用缺乏成立的区域合作项目。本文在对美国农产品与农药相关法律法规介绍的基础上,对美国特色作物农药使用登记管理的IR-4项目组织机构、管理和运行模式及近几年的相关成果进行了系统分析。     

Management of Stored Wheat Insect Pests in the USA

Management of stored-grain insect pests by farmers or elevator managers should be based upon a knowledge of the grain storage environment and the ecology of insect pests. Grain storage facilities and practices, geographical location, government policies, and marketing demands for grain quality are discussed as factors influencing stored-grain insect pest management decisions in the United States. Typical practices include a small number of grain samples designed to provide grain quality information for segregation, blending and marketing. This low sampling rate results in subjective evaluation and inconsistent penalties for insect-related quality factors. Information on the efficacy of insect pest management practices in the United States, mainly for farm-stored wheat, is discussed, and stored-grain integrated pest management (IPM) is compared to field-crop IPM. The transition from traditional stored-grain insect pest control to IPM will require greater emphasis on sampling to estimate insect densities, the development of sound economic thresholds and decision-making strategies, more selective use of pesticides, and greater use of nonchemical methods such as aeration. New developments in insect monitoring, predictive computer models, grain cooling by aeration, biological control, and fumigation are reviewed, their potential for improving insect pest management is discussed, and future research needs are examined.     

Factors in the Success and Failure of Microbial Agents for Control of Migratory Pests

Microbial control agents generally kill insects more slowly than chemical pesticides, and fast-moving migratory pests may not at first sight appear to offer the most promising targets for microbial control. Operators responsible for control may need to have recourse to chemical control agents. Nevertheless, there are many occasions when pests breed and feed outside the crop and a microbial control agent can be used. Similarly, immature stages may cause little damage and early treatment in the crop can avoid damage. Microbial control agents are particularly likely to be favoured if the pest breeds in a conservation area, and if a publicly-accountable agency is responsible for control.Other key points of importance are the IPM context, in particular detection, planning and forecasting of outbreaks and the role of natural enemies.With these points in mind, we identify several locust and grasshopper systems where microbial control is becoming established; additionally, Sunn pest of wheat and Armyworm are identified as promising situations forbreak microbials.     

Experience from registration of biopesticides in Sweden1

In Sweden, biopesticides (which are divided into those containing microorganisms or viruses and those containing macroorganisms) may be offered for sale only if approved by the National Chemicals Inspectorate. Data requirements, for safety to human health and the environment and for efficacy, are being developed and are different for the two groups of biological agents and also for indigenous and non-indigenous organisms. At present, four products based on insects have been approved. Forty-nine other products (already in use) have been provisionally exempted from approval, but will have to be approved in due course.     

New trends in orchard spraying1

Since the early part of the century, a steady move in England towards lower volume spraying of orchards has coincided with the progressive introduction of improved spraying techniques. In recent years many growers have adopted very low volume (VLV) spraying (50 litre ha^-1) using spinning-disc nozzles with greatly reduced dose rates, often only 25% of the product label recommendation. On well managed farms, this method of spraying has been successful for several years and considerable savings have been made in pesticide use and labour for spraying. On other farms there have been pest and disease control problems but few growers have reverted to spraying at conventional volume or pesticide rates. Trials evidence from the UK and the Netherlands shows the VLV reduced dose-rate spraying technique to be generally less effective than conventional spraying but usually sufficiently effective for commercial purposes. In the Netherlands a compromise method of low volume spraying (150–200 litre ha^-1) is being adopted on the recommendation of research and advisory services. This method of spraying is gaining popularity in England. Unfortunately, the method of application stipulated on product labels is usually restricted to a minimum water volume and a pesticide dose per ha. It might be desirable for experimental work for registration purposes to be done to explore optimum application methods for individual pesticides. This information on labels, in a simple form, might lead to the more efficient use of pesticides as well as reflecting the range of application methods in use in the industry.