Agriculture has had to face the destructive activities of numerous pests like fungi, weeds and insects from time immemorial, leading to radical decreases in yields. With the advent of chemical pesticides, this crisis was resolved to a great extent. But the overdependence on chemical pesticides and eventual uninhibited use of them has caused serious health and environmental problems.
Green Alternatives - Biopesticides
Biopesticides or biological pesticides are derived from natural materials like animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. For example, garlic, mint, neem, papaya and baking soda all have pesticidal applications and are considered biopesticides. According to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), at the end of 1998, there were approximately 175 registered biopesticide active ingredients and 700 products. The most commonly used biopesticides are living organisms (bacteria, viruses and fungi) which are pathogenic for the pest of interest. These include biofungicides (Trichoderma), bioherbicides (Phytopthora) and bioinsecticides (Bacillus thuringiensis).
Advantages of Using Biopesticides
- Biopesticides are obviously less harmful than conventional chemical pesticides.
- Biopesticides generally target one specific pest or a small number of related pests in contrast to broad spectrum chemical pesticides which affect, apart from the pest, other beneficial insects, birds and mammals.
- Biopesticides are more effective in smaller quantities and decompose quickly and thus do not cause the kind of environmental problems associated with chemical pesticides.
- When used in Integrated Pest Management programs, biopesticides can greatly reduce the use of conventional pesticides, while the crop yield remains high.
Biofungicides using Trichoderma
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