Index

Introduction

Type of Biopesticides

 Microbial Pesticides
o Bacteria
o Fungal
o Protozoa
o Virus
 Plant Pesticides
 Biochemical Pesticides

Applications

Advantage

Disadvantages

Conclusion
 INTRODUCTION

In recent years, few environmental issues have aroused the concern of the public as much as
pesticides, especially in relation to the health of children. In spite of the many published studies
on the subject of pesticides and human health, there remains deep controversy surrounding this
crops. They are in a dilemma to either sacrifice a significant share of their crops to pests or use
highly toxic pesticides that can harm human health and the environment. Biopesticides are key
elements of incorporated insect management (IPM) programs, and are receiving much practical
attention as a means to reduce the fill of artificial chemicals being used. Heavy use of synthetic
chemicals for pest control started from 1940s. Till then we were using natural insecticides namely
rotenone from the roots of derris plant, and pyrethrum from the flower heads of a species of
chrysanthemum. After twenty years it was found that the level of synthetic pesticides were
building and were not biodegradable and their harmful effects started coming out. there is a need
to create biopesticides which are effective, eco-friendly and do not leave any harmful effect on
environment. Gardening is the back-bone of Native Indian economic climate. Up to 70% of the
inhabitants is involved in town industry straight or in a roundabout way. Growing Native Indian
inhabitants needs sufficient town produce. Gardening and the agriculture vegetation are
vulnerable to problems by various kinds of unwanted pest infestations in form of bugs, infection,
harmful bacteria or virus or fresh mushrooms and control of these has become necessary to
reduce failures to a minimum. 'Biopesticides' are certain types of pesticides derived from such
natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. These include for example;
fungi such as Beauveria sp., bacteria such as Bacillus sp., neem extract and pheromones.
Similarly Canola oil and baking soda have pesticide applications and are considered as
biopesticides. The use of these materials is widespread with applications to goliage, turf, soil, or
other environments of the target insect pests. In a much simpler way we can say that these are
pest management tools that are based on beneficial microorganisms (bacteria,viruses, fungi and
protozoa), beneficial nematodes or other safe, biologically based active ingredients. Benefits of
biopesticides include effective control of insects, plant diseases and weeds, as well as human and
environmental safety. Biopesticides also play an important role in providing pest management
tools in areas where pesticide resistance, niche markets and environmental concerns limit the use
of chemical pesticide products. The most widely known microbial pesticides are varieties of the
bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, which can control certain insects in cabbage, potato, and
other crops. Bt produces a protein that is harmful to specific insect pest. Certain other microbial
pesticides act by out-competing pest organisms.
 TYPE OF BIOPESTICIDES

1- Microbial pesticides

They come from naturally occurring or genetically altered bacteria, fungi,algae, viruses or
protozoans. Microbial control agents can be effective and used as alternatives to chemical
insecticides. A microbial toxin can be defined as a biological toxin material derived from a
microorganism, such as a bacterium or fungus. Pathogenic effect of those microorganisms on the
target pests are so species specific. The effect by microbial entomopathogens occurs by invasion
through the integument or gut of the insect, followed by multiplication of the pathogen resulting
in the death of the host, e.g., insects. Studies have demonstrated that the pathogens produce
insecticidal toxin important in pathogenesis. Most of the toxins produced by microbial pathogens
which have been identified are peptides, but they vary greatly in terms of structure, toxicity and
specificity.

These microbial pesticides offer an alternative to chemical insecticides with increased target
specificity and ecological safety so that they are used either uniqly or in combination with other
pest management programmes. One definition for integrated pest management (IPM) which is
most relevant to this practice comes from Flint and van den Bosch [1981]: "It is a ecologically
based pest control strategy that relies heavily on natural mortality factors and seeks out control
tactics that disrupt these factors as little as possible. Ideally, an integrated pest management
program considers all available pest control actions, including no action, and evaluates the
potential interaction among various control tactics, cultural practices, weather, other pests, and
the crop to be protected".

These microbials as biocontrol agents present u beneficiancy. They have efficiency and safety for
humans and other nontarget organisms. They leave less or no residue in food. They are
ecologically safe, so that other natural enemies are free of their threatening, leading to
preservation of other natural enemies, and increased biodiversity in managed ecosystem. So,
microbial agents are highly specific against target pests so they facilitate the survival of
beneficial insects in treated crops. This may be the main reason that microbial insecticides are
being developed as biological control agents during the last three decades.

Microorganism e.g., a bacterium, fungus, virus or protozoan as the active ingredient can control
many different kinds of pests, although each separate active ingredient is relatively specific for
its target pest. For example, there are fungi that control certain weeds, and other fungi that kill
specific insects. One bacterial species like Bacillus thuringiensis may be more effectiv on Aedes
aegypti while one another B. sphaericus strain can be effective on a different types of mosquito
like Culex quinquefasciatus.

3.1. Advantages of microbial insecticides

Individual products differ in important ways, but the following list of beneficial characteristics
applies to microbial insecticides in general.

 The organisms used in microbial insecticides are essentially nontoxic and nonpathogenic
to wildlife, humans, and other organisms not closely related to the target pest. The safety
offered by microbial insecticides is their greatest strength.
 The toxic action of microbial insecticides is often specific to a single group or species of
insects, and this specificity means that most microbial insecticides do not directly affect
beneficial insects (including predators or parasites of pests) in treated areas.
 If necessary, most microbial insecticides can be used in conjunction with synthetic
chemical insecticides because in most cases the microbial product is not deactivated or
damaged by residues of conventional insecticides. (Follow label directions concerning any
limitations.)
 Because their residues present no hazards to humans or other animals, microbial
insecticides can be applied even when a crop is almost ready for harvest.
 In some cases, the pathogenic microorganisms can become established in a pest population
or its habitat and provide control during subsequent pest generations or seasons.
 They also enhance the root and plant growth by way of encouraging the beneficial soil
microflora. By this way they take a part in the increase of the crop yield.
 2- Plant- Pesticides

Incorporated-Protectants(PIPs) PIPs are pesticidal substances that plants produce from genetic
material that has been added to the plant. For example, scientists can take the gene for the Bt
pesticidal protein, and introduce the gene into the plants own genetic material. Then the plant,
instead of the Bt bacterium manufactures the substance that destroys the pest. Both the protein
and its genetic material are regulated by EPA; the plant itself is not regulated
 3- Biochemical pesticides

These are naturally occurring substances such as plant extracts, fatty acids or pheromones that
control pests by non-toxic mechanisms. Conventional pesticides, by contrast, are synthetic
materials that usually kill or inactivate the pest. Biochemical pesticides include substances that
interfere with growth or mating, such as plant growth regulators, or substances that repel or
attract pests, such as pheromones. Because it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a
natural pesticide controls the pest by a non-toxic mode of action, EPA has established a
committee to determine whether a pesticide meets the criteria for a biochemical pesticide.
Biochemical pesticides include substances, such as insect sex pheromones, that interfere with
mating, as well as various scented plant extracts that attract insect pests to traps. Man-made
pheromones are used to disrupt insect mating by creating confusion during the search for mates,
or can be used to attract male insects to traps. Pheromones are often used to detect or monitor
insect populations, or in some cases, to control them.
Applications
Biopesticides are biological or biologically-derived agents, that are usually applied in a manner
similar to chemical pesticides, but achieve pest management in an environmentally friendly way.
With all pest management products, but especially microbial agents, effective control requires
appropriate formulation and application

Biopesticides for use against crop diseases have already established themselves on a variety of
crops. For example, biopesticides already play an important role in controlling downy mildew
diseases. Their benefits include: a 0-Day Pre-Harvest Interval (see: maximum residue limit), the
ability to use under moderate to severe disease pressure, and the ability to use as a tank mix or in
a rotational program with other registered fungicides. Because some market studies estimate that
as much as 20% of global fungicide sales are directed at downy mildew diseases, the integration of
biofungicides into grape production has substantial benefits in terms of extending the useful life
of other fungicides, especially those in the reduced-risk category.

A major growth area for biopesticides is in the area of seed treatments and soil
amendments. Fungicidal and biofungicidal seed treatments are used to control soil borne fungal
pathogens that cause seed rots, damping-off, root rot and seedling blights. They can also be used
to control internal seed–borne fungal pathogens as well as fungal pathogens that are on the
surface of the seed. Many biofungicidal products also show capacities to stimulate plant host
defence and other physiological processes that can make treated crops more resistant to a variety
of biotic and abiotic stresses.
 Advantage

 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.

To use biopesticides effectively (and safely), however, users need to know a great deal about
managing pests and must carefully follow all label directions.
Disadvantages

 High specificity: which may require an exact identification of the pest/pathogen and the use
of multiple products to be used; although this can also be an advantage in that the
biopesticide is less likely to harm species other than the target
 Often slow speed of action (thus making them unsuitable if a pest outbreak is an immediate
threat to a crop)
 Often variable efficacy due to the influences of various biotic and abiotic factors (since some
biopesticides are living organisms, which bring about pest/pathogen control by multiplying
within or nearby the target pest/pathogen)
 Living organisms evolve and increase their resistance to biological, chemical, physical or any
other form of control. If the target population is not exterminated or rendered incapable of
reproduction, the surviving population can acquire a tolerance of whatever pressures are
brought to bear, resulting in an evolutionary arms race.
 Unintended consequences: Studies have found broad spectrum biopesticides have lethal and
nonlethal risks for non-target native pollinators such as Melipona quadrifasciata in Brazil.
Conclusion

The increasing of biological control due to both ecological beneficiancies including the human
health as part of world ecology, has been renewed.

The demand for bio-pesticides is rising steadily in all parts of the world. When used in
Integrated Pest Management systems, biopesticides' efficacy can be equal to or better than
conventional products, especially for crops like fruits, vegetables, nuts and flowers. By combining
performance and safety, biopesticides perform efficaciously while providing the flexibility of
minimum application restrictions, superior residue and resistance management potential, and
human and environmental safety benefits.

In the study in which the sensitivity of the Bs crystal binary toxin to extracellular proteaese of
the aquatic microorganisms were detected, it was shown that there are also the effects of the
environmental microorganisms due to their extracellular proteases released in the toxin
application area naturally. So that, the Bs toxin effectiveness in the controlling the mosquitoes,
especially Culex spp.can be affected by this factor. The resistance against the microbial
entamopathogens by the target organisms, has been usually thought to be genetic capability of the
insects, specifically mosquito species. In this study it is found that, the decrease or variability in
the efficency of the Bs toxin may be not only due to the genetic capability of the insect organism
to develope resistance against the microbial protein, but also may as well be due to the
environmental microbiological character.

In the future other studies can be done as well to detect the type and charactheristics of the
effective proteases released into the Bs toxin application areas, so that the preventive
manıpulatıons of the Bs toxin protein or some other genetic derivations of the toxin protein may
well b eestablished, so that the specific proteaeses would not be able to effct the toxin, while the
toxin still can kill the mosquito spp. It is very likely that in future their role will be more
significant in agriculture and forestry. Biopesticides clearly have a potential role to play in
development of future integrated pest management strategies Hopefully, more rational approach
will be gradually adopted towards biopesticides in the near future and short-term profits from
chemical pesticides will not determine the fate of biopesticides.