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.     

A renaissance for botanical insecticides?

Botanical insecticides continue to be a subject of keen interest among the international research community, reflected in the steady growth in scientific publications devoted to the subject. Until very recently though, the translation of that theory to practice, i.e. the commercialisation and adoption of new botanical insecticides in the marketplace, has seriously lagged behind. Strict regulatory regimes, long the bane of small pesticide producers, are beginning to relax some of the data requirements for ‘low‐risk’ pesticide products, facilitating movement of more botanicals into the commercial arena. In this paper I discuss some of the jurisdictions where botanicals are increasingly finding favour, some of the newer botanical insecticides in the plant and animal health arsenal and some of the specific sectors where botanicals are most likely to compete effectively with other types of insecticidal product. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)‐based intercropping systems for biological pest control

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most cultivated crops in temperate climates. As its pests are mainly controlled with insecticides that are harmful to the environment and human health, alternative practices such as intercropping have been studied for their potential to promote biological control. Based on the published literature, this study aimed to review the effect of wheat‐based intercropping systems on insect pests and their natural enemies. Fifty original research papers were obtained from a systematic search of the peer‐reviewed literature. Results from a vote‐counting analysis indicated that, in the majority of studies, pest abundance was significantly reduced in intercropping systems compared with pure stands. However, the occurrence of their natural enemies as well as predation and parasitism rates were not significantly increased. The country where the studies took place, the type of intercropping and the crop that was studied in the association had significant effects on these results. These findings show that intercropping is a viable practice to reduce insecticide use in wheat production systems. Nevertheless, other practices could be combined with intercropping to favour natural enemies and enhance pest control. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry     

Eco‐efficiency as a strategy for optimizing the sustainability of pest management

Agricultural industrialization and the subsequent reliance on pesticides has resulted in numerous unintended consequences, such as impacts upon the environment and by extension human health. Eco‐efficiency is a strategy for sustainably increasing production, while simultaneously decreasing these externalities on ecological systems. Eco‐efficiency is defined as the ratio of production to environmental impacts. It has been widely adopted to improve chemical production, but we investigate the challenges of applying eco‐efficiency to pesticide use. Eco‐efficiency strategies include technological innovation, investment in research and development, improvement of business processes, and accounting for market forces. These components are often part of integrated pest management (IPM) systems that include alternatives to pesticides, but its implementation is often thwarted by commercial realities and technical challenges. We propose the creation and adoption of an eco‐efficiency index for pesticide use so that the broad benefits of eco‐efficient strategies such as IPM can be more readily quantified. We propose an index based upon the ratio of crop yield to a risk quotient (RQ) calculated from pesticide toxicity. Eco‐efficiency is an operational basis for optimizing pest management for sustainability. It naturally favors adoption of IPM and should be considered by regulators, researchers, and practitioners involved in pest management. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

蔬菜安全生产过程中农药污染危害与控制途径分析

蔬菜产品从"田间到餐桌"需要经过一个较长的链条,其中蔬菜的生产在这个链条中占有重要地位。蔬菜安全生产是社会和谐发展的客观要求,是经济效益持续稳定的根本保障,生态健康也对蔬菜安全生产中农药的科学使用提出了更高要求。蔬菜生产过程中的污染包括产地环境污染和农业投入品污染,其中又以作为重要的农业投入品的农药引起的污染为主。农药是蔬菜安全生产中减少病虫草等危害损失、保障蔬菜产量的重要核心因素,但如果农药使用不科学就会污染环境、破坏生态平衡、造成蔬菜产品农药残留超标、作物药害或导致人们中毒,直接危害人类健康。国外为推行农产品质量安全从"田间到餐桌"全过程控制,随之相继出现了如良好农业规范(GAP)、良好生产规范(GMP)、危害分析和关键点控制体系(HACCP)等生产管理和控制体系。我国对农药污染控制技术手段比较薄弱,为缓解我国蔬菜生产、病虫害防治和农药污染之间的矛盾,必须对农药的使用进行全程调控。     

生物杀虫剂组合在有机水稻种植中的作用效果

针对上海市崇明区有机水稻生产过程中病虫害防治效果不佳的问题,在水稻无化肥、无化学农药种植条件下开展了生物杀虫剂对水稻主要害虫稻纵卷叶螟和稻飞虱的田间防控效果评价。在崇明区的2个试验基地,于水稻不同生长时期,以绿僵菌、白僵菌产品分别与病毒杀虫剂MbNPV、植物源杀虫剂苦参碱和细菌杀虫剂Bt组合进行施药处理。结果表明,应用绿僵菌/白僵菌与MbNPV组合,能够有效防治稻纵卷叶螟,在稻纵卷叶螟发生较早的基地,施药后7 d和14 d的防效可达58.2%～81.2%,而在稻纵卷叶螟发生较晚的另一基地,施药后7 d防效可达61.3%和65.6%;绿僵菌/白僵菌与苦参碱组合,可用于防治稻飞虱,7 d和14 d的防效达64.7%～76.1%;绿僵菌/白僵菌与苏云金杆菌组合防治稻纵卷叶螟的14 d防效分别达64.0%和75.4%,优于对稻飞虱的防效;各组合试验结果显示,白僵菌有相对较长的持效作用,且在害虫迁入早期阶段(水稻发育分蘖盛期至拔节期)施用生物农药比在中后期(抽穗期及之后)施用的防效高。可见,生物杀虫剂组合可作为农作物绿色防控的有效手段。     

Neem and other Botanical insecticides: Barriers to commercialization

In spite of the wide recognition that many plants possess insecticidal properties, only a handful of pest control products directly obtained from plants,i. e., botanical insecticides, are in use in developed countries. The demonstrated efficacy of the botanical neem (based on seed kernel extracts ofAzadirachta indica), and its recent approval for use in the United States, has stimulated research and development of other botanical insecticides. However, the commercialization of new botanical insecticides can be hindered by a number of issues. The principal barriers to commercialization of new botanicals are (i) scarcity of the natural resource; (ii) standardization and quality control; and (iii) registration. These issues are no problem (i) or considerably less of a problem (ii, iii) with conventional insecticides. In this review I discuss these issues and suggest how the problems may be overcome in the future. Based on a paper presented at the symposiumBiopesticides for Crop Protection, Seoul National University Suwon, South Korea, 22 August 1996.     

Plant Protection and Production in Modern Society1

Many currently existing agricultural production techniques have been developed in total reliance on effective chemical pest control. Today, however, it is becoming clear that chemical pest control has a number of limitations, and its ever increasing costs may well make it a limiting factor in agricultural production. This has already occurred in a number of cotton growing areas. The need for increased world food production will require improved pest control methods. If no special precautions are taken, we will undoubtedly end up in many other crops with a situation similar to that of cotton. In view of the reduced availability of new pesticides, those currently available should be used in the optimal way. At the present time, the integrated pest control approach is the best means of accomplishing this. The introduction of such programs will require official support through legislation or technical assistance. In the future, various new developments in pest control are to be expected. Greater reliance will be placed on the use of computer science. Further effort will be needed in areas such as crop loss assessment, stored product pests, technical assistance to farmers and pesticide selectivity. Closer international collaboration on plant quarantine matters and pesticide registration are essential for the future of pest control.     

Growing vegetables in developing countries for local urban populations and export markets: problems confronting small-scale producers

Vegetables attract high applications of pesticides, and farmers in developing countries use many acutely toxic insecticides to control pests on these crops. With the liberalisation of agricultural markets in developing countries, the number of small-scale farmers growing vegetables for both domestic and export markets is increasing. Demand for supplies of year-round and exotic fruit and vegetables has grown in industrialised countries, but with rising quality standards and traceability requirements it is difficult for small-scale farmers to benefit from this lucrative non-traditional agricultural export trade. The demand is high for vegetables in the expanding cities in developing countries, and farmers in peri-urban areas, or rural areas with good access to the cities, are in a position to find a growing market for their produce. Poor storage facilities will often mean that farmers are forced to sell at peak times when prices are low. Farmers rarely have access to training in pesticide use, and have only limited or no access to advice on the complicated management of pesticides. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN is concerned about high levels of poor quality and adulterated pesticides on sale in developing countries. Surveys repeatedly show that without training, farmers are unable to make good crop decisions: recognition of pests and their predators is generally low, leading to decisions to spray to kill any insect; knowledge of product selection, application rates and timing is poor; different products are often combined in the belief that the effect will be greater; re-entry periods after spraying and essential harvest intervals are not known; and without knowledge of alternatives, farmers will often assume that the only solution to pest problems is to spray more frequently. From a consumer's point of view, few developing countries are able to monitor pesticide residues, particularly for produce grown for home consumption: most countries do not have laboratories for even simple residue testing. Changes in European Maximum Residue Limits means that export crops will be rejected if they contain residues at the Limit of Detection of pesticides not registered in Europe. Season-long field level training in Integrated Pest Management can help farmers to become better decision-makers, and to greatly reduce pesticide use while reducing risks to their own health and environment, producing safer products for consumers, maintaining yields, and increasing incomes.     

A Rapid Method for Screening Insecticides in the Laboratory

An efficient method for rapidly mass-screening insecticides for use against sap-feeding virus vectors is presented with a case study of 30 chemicals. The method permits large numbers of insecticides to be tested simultaneously and relatively inexpensively in a sequence of laboratory bioassays. The sequence is designed to find the most effective pesticide at the lowest concentration giving control without phytotoxicity. The system was derived to test candidate insecticides to control tomato yellow leaf curl virus vectored by the tobacco whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennad., the most serious pest of greenhouse and field tomatoes in the Middle East. Although the insecticides were all more efficacious in the laboratory than in the field, bioassay results were highly correlated with results from field trials, giving high confidence that the screening process selected only the most efficacious insecticides. Most of the insecticides accepted by the screening process have since been adopted by vegetable growers in Israel. The method is not intended to eliminate field efficacy trials, but to reduce the number of trials and treatments that need to be performed, thereby reducing costs. The method provides for the optimization of application rates which will contribute to the expected life of insecticides before resistance develops, and will also help to reduce environmental contamination. In addition, the method is suitable for estimating relative efficacy for pesticide benefits assessments, a required part of the (re-)registration process for pesticides in some countries. Although developed for screening insecticides against virus-transmitting sap-feeding insects, the method could be modified to assess the efficacy of insecticides in controlling other insect pests.     

保护利用蜘蛛防治水稻害虫的研究

水稻是湖南省的主要粮食,每年要用大量化学农药防治害虫。因此,作者在1975～1981年间,于长沙、湘阴等地进行了稻田蜘蛛保护和利用的室内外研究。结果证明,湖南省稻田蜘蛛资源丰富,并有良好的治虫效果。稻褐飞虱是它们的主要食物。通过保护,蜘蛛数量逐年增加,也保护了其它天敌,发挥了多种天敌联合治虫的作用,为综合防治提供了新内容,降低了农药用量,人畜安全,增产增收。     

Biology and integrated pest management for the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) is the most important insect pest of bananas and plantains (Musa spp.). The larvae bore in the corm, reducing nutrient uptake and weakening the stability of the plant. Attack in newly planted banana stands can lead to crop failure. In established fields, weevil damage can result in reduced bunch weights, mat die-out and shortened stand life. Damage and yield losses tend to increase with time. This paper reviews the research on the taxonomy, distribution, biology, pest status, sampling methods, and integrated pest management (IPM) of banana weevil. Salient features of the weevil's biology include nocturnal activity, long life span, limited mobility, low fecundity, and slow population growth. The adults are free living and most often associated with banana mats and cut residues. They are attracted to their hosts by volatiles, especially following damage to the plant corm. Males produce an aggregation pheromone that is attractive to both sexes. Eggs are laid in the corm or lower pseudostem. The immature stages are all passed within the host plant, mostly in the corm. The weevil's biology creates sampling problems and makes its control difficult. Most commonly, weevils are monitored by trapping adults, mark and recapture methods and damage assessment to harvested or dead plants. Weevil pest status and control options reflect the type of banana being grown and the production system. Plantains and highland bananas are more susceptible to the weevil than dessert or brewing bananas. Banana production systems range from kitchen gardens and small, low-input stands to large-scale export plantations. IPM options for banana weevils include habitat management (cultural controls), biological control, host plant resistance, botanicals, and (in some cases) chemical control. Cultural controls have been widely recommended but data demonstrating their efficacy are limited. The most important are clean planting material in new stands, crop sanitation (especially destruction of residues), agronomic methods to improve plant vigour and tolerance to weevil attack and, possibly, trapping. Tissue culture plantlets, where available, assure the farmer with weevil-free material. Suckers may be cleaned by paring, hot water treatment and/or the applications of entomopathogens, neem, or pesticides. None of these methods assure elimination of weevils. Adult weevils may also invade from nearby plantations. As a result, the benefits of clean planting material may be limited to a few crop cycles. Field surveys suggest that reduced weevil populations may be associated with high levels of crop sanitation, yet definitive studies on residue management and weevil pest status are wanting. Trapping of adult weevils with pseudostem or corm traps can reduce weevil populations, but material and labour requirements may be beyond the resources of many farmers. The use of enhanced trapping with pheromones and kairomones is currently under study. A combination of clean planting material, sanitation, and trapping is likely to provide at least partial control of banana weevil.Classical biological control of banana weevil, using natural enemies from Asia, has so far been unsuccessful. Most known arthropod natural enemies are opportunistic, generalist predators with limited efficacy. Myrmicine ants have been reported to help control the weevil in Cuba, but their effects elsewhere are unknown. Microbial control, using entomopathogenic fungi and nematodes tend to be more promising. Effective strains of microbial agents are known but economic mass production and delivery systems need further development.     

农药环境影响指数(EIQ)在农作物病虫害防治工作中的应用

贯彻绿色植保理念,必须科学地监测和最大限度地减少农药对人类健康和生态环境的负面影响。本文介绍了农药环境影响指数(EIQ),讨论了其在农作物病虫害防治工作中应用与局限性。     

European Union policy on pesticides: implications for agriculture in Ireland

European Community (EC) legislation has limited the availability of pesticide active substances used in effective plant protection products. The Pesticide Authorisation Directive 91/414/EEC introduced the principle of risk assessment for approval of pesticide active substances. This principle was modified by the introduction of Regulation (EC) 1107/2009, which applies hazard, the intrinsic toxicity of the active substance, rather than risk, the potential for hazard to occur, as the approval criterion. Potential impacts of EC pesticide legislation on agriculture in Ireland are summarised. While these will significantly impact on pesticide availability in the medium to long term, regulations associated with water quality (Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC and Drinking Water Directive 1998/83/EC) have the potential to restrict pesticide use more immediately, as concerns regarding public health and economic costs associated with removing pesticides from water increase. This rationale will further reduce the availability of effective pesticide active substances, directly affecting crop protection and increasing pesticide resistance within pest and disease populations. In addition, water quality requirements may also impact on important active substances used in plant protection in Ireland. The future challenge for agriculture in Ireland is to sustain production and profitability using reduced pesticide inputs within a framework of integrated pest management. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Sustainable management of the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), in infested areas: experiences in Italy, Hungary and the USA

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, is the most important pest of maize in the Midwestern USA, and since its detection in 1992 in Europe, also in several countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Methods for managing this pest vary from region to region, depending upon: the different cultural practices in maize production, climatic conditions, soil types, pest behaviour, infestation level and socio-economic conditions. Factors including date of planting, amount of rotated or continuous maize, irrigation, date of rootworm hatching and differences in behaviour of the pest, necessitate developing different management strategies in different areas of the infested countries. Pest monitoring, damage evaluation, threshold development, use of insecticides, risk estimation and crop rotation are some of the starting points in the development of management strategies. Approaches and experiences in D. v. virgifera control and management in Italy, Hungary and the USA, based on the understanding of local agro-ecosystems and socio-economic conditions, are reported.     

Factors in the Success and Failure of Microbial Insecticides in Forestry

The minor position of microbial insecticides within the global pesticide market can be attributed to a number of causes, including high cost of production, high specificity, poor application technology, poor persistence and slow speed of kill. These aspects are discussed in relation to the potential for use of microbial insecticides against forest pests. Many of the constraints are not limiting in forestry and some of the ways in which they can be overcome are discussed, including the concept of a better appreciation of the ecological context. This approach encompasses knowledge of the behaviour of the target host species, both for improved targeting and for maximum exploitation of secondary inoculum. These, and other aspects are brought together in discussing the future for microbial insecticides in forest pest management.     

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of accidental insect pest introduction into Switzerland and its implications for plant protection1

The purpose of this study is to assess the characteristics of accidental introduction of pest organisms into Switzerland by means of international plant trade, and to discuss its consequences for the development of plant protection strategies. We found substantial levels of infestation in samples of all producing countries included in the study. Since the use of synthetic pesticides is the main basis of pest control in the ornamental industry, the results of this study indicate that chemical pest control has reached a limit above which no further reduction of pest population levels is possible. The increased pesticide tolerance of many arthropod pests is mainly due to increased levels of resistance to pesticides caused by their excessive use. Therefore, alternative methods supplementing pesticide use are required to develop an optimal pest management strategy for the future. It is proposed that, in the Swiss ornamental production industry, pest monitoring should be the first step in this direction.     

Pest control in coffee

Coffee pests have been estimated to cause losses of about 13% of the world yield but are most serious in Africa, particularly where Arabica coffee is grown. Coffee pests are normally indigenous and except for the berry borer beetle (Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari) there has been little movement between the main production areas. There is a great variety of pests but because the crop is perennial, evergreen and only grown in areas without climatic extremes, pest populations only rarely become intolerable, being held in check for most of the time by parasites, predators and diseases. Routine spraying of insecticides in coffee plantations is undesirable for these kill parasites and predators and often result in pest outbreaks. An effective but simple integrated control system has been evolved over many decades in East Africa, using a combination of cultural, biological and chemical control. Pest numbers are monitored continuously by growers and insecticides are used as selectively as possible. The system is ideally suited to areas where labour is cheap but technology is expensive.     

以农药减量控害助力农业绿色发展

本文从历史、农民和市场等三个维度分析了我国农药过量使用产生的原因,指出农药减量控害的必要性和重要意义,分析了农药减量控害的可行性,提出了"底线思维、系统思维、创新思维"工作思路以及通过替代化学防控、调整优化农药产品结构、集成绿色防控技术、转变防控方式、构建农产品优质优价机制等路径实施农药减量控害的建议。