Practical Approaches to Pest Control: The Use of Natural Compounds (original) (raw)

Abstract

Food production is challenged by different factors: climate changes, market competitiveness, food safety, public demands, environmental challenges, new and invasive pests, etc. Intensive food production must be protected against pests, which is nowadays impossible with traditional techniques. The use of eco-friendly biopesticides based on essential oils (EOs), plant extracts (PE), and inert dusts appears to be a complementary or alternative methodology to the conventional chemically synthesized insecticides. The use of such biopesticides reduces the adverse pesticide effects on human health and environment. Biopesticides can exhibit toxic, repellent, and antifeeding effects. Development of bio-insecticides tackles the problem of food safety and residues in fresh food. Innovation within this approach is the combination of several types of active ingredients with complementary effects. Essential oils are well-known compounds with insecticide or repellent activities. New approaches, tools, and products for ecological pest management may substantially decrease pesticide use, especially in fruit and vegetable production. A win-win strategy is to find an appropriate nature-based compound having impact on pests, together with pesticide use, when unavoidable. Toxic or repellent activity could be used for pest control in the field conditions, as well as attractiveness of some compounds for mass trapping, before pests cause significant economic damage.

Key takeaways

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  1. Eco-friendly biopesticides, including essential oils and plant extracts, offer sustainable pest control alternatives.
  2. Traditional chemical pesticides frequently exceed maximum residue levels (MRL) in fruits, leading to health concerns.
  3. Biopesticides exhibit various effects: toxic, repellent, and antifeeding on pests, enhancing food safety.
  4. Innovative combinations of active ingredients in biopesticides can improve pest control efficacy.
  5. Capturing volatile essential oils can extend their effectiveness against pests in agricultural practices.

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