Biopesticides: Production, Formulation and Application Systems

Abstract

Agriculture has had to face the destructive activities of numerous pests like fungi, weeds and insects from time immemorial, leading to radical decrease in yields. With the advent of chemical pesticides, this crisis was resolved to a great extent. But the over dependence on chemical pesticides and eventual uninhibited use of them has necessitated for alternatives mainly for environmental concerns. Degraded soils and groundwater pollution has resulted in nutritionally imbalanced and unproductive lands. Violative pesticide residues also sometimes raise food safety concerns among domestic consumers and pose trade impediments for export crops. Therefore, an eco-friendly alternative is the need of the hour (Gupta and Dikshit, 2010). Increasing public concern about the potential damage of chemical inputs in agricultural production systems has challenged industry to develop new and effective pest management and control strategies against insect pests, diseases and weeds. These new strategies must be less harmful to the environment than the current, chemical-based ones, and they must also safeguard the health of agricultural workers and consumers. Bio-pesticides are the formulated form of active ingredients based on microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, nematodes or naturally occurring substances, including plant extracts and semiochemicals. Not all the natural products are biopesticides; some are chemical pesticides if they act on nervous system of the pest. The formulation process leads to a final product by mixing the microbal component with different carriers and adjuvants for better protection from environmental conditions, greater survival of the biological agents, as well as improved bioactivity and storage stability. Biopesticide formulation can be divided into liquid and dry formulation. Application of products must be easy, economical, effective, and timely to the appropriate site of action. The application of biopesticides fits the modern strategy of integrated pest management (IPM) which combines all suitable control techniques harmoniously with one another and integrates them with other crop production practices, to suppress pest populations below economic injury levels, while maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem. K e y w o r d s