Development and Evaluation of Environment Friendly Pesticide Formulations Based on Plant Seed Oils

Abstract

Agriculture is an important sector as India is an Agricultural country. newlineDiseases caused by pests are the main cause for yield loses of crops during newlinepre and post harvesting. Pests like insects, fungi, bacteria, weeds and newlinenematodes reduce the crop productivity and hence for the prevention of newlineyield loses it is necessary to control these pests. The excessive and newlineinjudicious use of synthetic pesticides has caused negative impact on human newlinehealth and environment and hence, it is very important to minimise these newlineadverse effects. Formulation of bio-pesticides (bio-control agents) has been newlinean important field of research, as continuous efforts are being made to newlinereduce and remove the health risk factors by developing such pesticides newlinewhich not only destroy the target organisms, but at the same time are newlineharmless to non-target organisms, farmers and consumers. The active newlineingredients present in these bio-pesticides are of plant-origin and hence are newlinebiodegradable causing no harm to the eco-system with their presence. Since newlineancient times, peoples have been using the bio-pesticides like neem, newlinerotenone, pyrethrum and plant extracts for controlling the pests. Plants newlinesynthesize chemicals during metabolic reactions called secondary newlinemetabolite and some of those metabolites are having toxicity against insects newlineand other pathogens. newline