Botanical insecticides inspired by plant-herbivore chemical interactions.
Plants have evolved a plethora of secondary chemicals to protect themselves against herbivores and pathogens, some of which have been used historically for pest management. The extraction methods used by industry render many phytochemicals ineffective as insecticides despite their bioactivity in the natural context. In this review, we examine how plants use their secondary chemicals in nature and compare this with how they are used as insecticides to understand why the efficacy of botanical insecticides can be so variable. If the commercial production of botanical insecticides is to become a viable pest management option, factors such as production cost, resource availability, and extraction and formulation techniques need be considered alongside innovative application technologies to ensure consistent efficacy of botanical insecticides.
Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, University of British Columbia, 1961 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4, Canada.
Saber
S
Miresmailli
Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4, Canada. Electronic address: murray.isman@ubc.ca.
Murray B
MB
Isman
D060434:Herbivory; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007306:Insecticides / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000592:standards; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
D007306:Insecticides
botanical pesticides; herbivore–plant interactions; pesticide formulation