Pest control practices are evolving rapidly. Although pesticides have become essential tools, those that are of a conventional heritage have come to sustain societal burdens of doubt, concern and even fear The appeal among consumers for alternatives is growing and the market for “natural” or more environmentally benign pesticides has concomitantly improved over the past few years. Biopesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from such natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. The appeal among consumers for alternatives is growing and the market for “natural” or more environmentally benign pesticides has concomitantly improved over the past few years. They show very low orders of toxicity to non-target species, pest targets are specific, generally low use rates, rapid decomposition in the environment, usually work well in IPM programs and reduce reliance on conventional pesticide products.
Types of biopesticides fall into three major classes: *as defined by EPA.
Biochemical pesticides are naturally occurring substances that control pests by non-toxic mechanisms. Conventional pesticides, by contrast, are generally synthetic materials that directly kill or inactivate the pest. Biochemical pesticides include substances that interfere with mating, such as insect sex pheromones, as well as various scented plant extracts that attract insect pests to traps. Because it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a substance meets the criteria for classification as a biochemical pesticide.
Microbial pesticides consist of a microorganism (e.g., a bacterium, fungus, virus or protozoan) as the active ingredient.
Plant-Incorporated-Protectants (PIPs) are pesticidal substances that plants produce from genetic material that has been added to the plant.
Advantages of using biopesticides
Biopesticides are usually inherently less toxic than conventional pesticides.
Biopesticides generally affect only the target pest and closely related organisms, in contrast to broad spectrum, conventional pesticides that may affect organisms as different as birds, insects and mammals.
Biopesticides often are effective in very small quantities and often decompose quickly, resulting in lower exposures and largely avoiding the pollution problems caused by conventional pesticides.
When used as a component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, biopesticides can greatly reduce the use of conventional pesticides, while crop yields remain high.
