title: Have biopesticides come of age?
abstract: Biopesticides based on living microbes and their bioactive compounds have been researched and promoted as replacements for synthetic pesticides for many years. However, lack of efficacy, inconsistent field performance and high cost have generally relegated them to niche products. Recently, technological advances and major changes in the external environment have positively altered the outlook for biopesticides. Significant increases in market penetration have been made, but biopesticides still only make up a small percentage of pest control products. Progress in the areas of activity spectra, delivery options, persistence of effect and implementation have contributed to the increasing use of biopesticides, but technologies that are truly transformational and result in significant uptake are still lacking.
authors.affiliation: Bio-Protection Research Centre, PO Box 84, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand. travis.glare@lincoln.ac.nz
authors.forename: Travis
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Glare
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caradus
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gelernter
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Nemat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Keyhani
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Köhl
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marrone
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Morin
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*