Natural Alternatives to Synthetic Pesticides

Combining biocontrol methods and conventional pesticides can provide a more sustainable alternative, reducing harmful effects on human health, the environment, and agriculture.

FREMONT, CA: Modern agriculturalists must determine the best strategies to sustainably feed a growing world population while causing the least environmental damage. Over the past century, traditional farming methods that rely on various agrochemicals have unquestionably increased food production. Agriculture's long-term viability, the environment, and human health have all suffered greatly. Alternatives to current agrochemicals are urgently needed to balance human and environmental needs.

Crop yields have increased significantly due to agrochemicals, such as insecticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers, protecting crops from disease and pests. Their invention transformed agriculture and made it possible to feed an expanding world population. However, the overuse of these substances has produced a long list of alarming problems that demand prompt action. The destruction of the environment is among the most urgent issues. Agrochemicals have the potential to contaminate ecosystems, streams, and soil, harming non-target species severely and upsetting sensitive ecological balances. Pesticides, for instance, can completely wipe off bee colonies, which are crucial for crop pollination. Additionally, toxic algal blooms and dead zones devoid of aquatic life are brought on by the runoff of synthetic fertilizers into rivers and lakes.

The widespread use of agrochemicals has led to the emergence of weeds and pests resistant to herbicides and pesticides. Due to this dynamic, farmers have been forced to use increasingly potent and damaging chemicals, creating a vicious cycle.

Such opposition jeopardizes food security and emphasizes the need for sustainable alternatives. The well-being of people is yet another important factor. Pesticides and herbicides frequently include harmful substances that endanger the health of customers and farm workers. Numerous harmful health outcomes, including cancer, neurological impairments, and reproductive issues, have been associated with chronic exposure to these substances. Keeping these health hazards to a minimum is morally and ethically necessary.

Although agrochemicals have historically been essential for increasing agricultural output, their long-term effects on the environment, such as neonicotinoids' harm to bee populations, have come to light. There is an increasing need to switch to alternate crop protection strategies that rely less on toxic pesticides to solve these issues. One strategy that is gaining popularity is the use of artificial pheromones to interfere with a pest's mating ritual. Male insects are prevented from finding female companions by dispersing artificial pheromones close to crops. These species-specific pheromones do not harm other insects. Synthetic pheromones have proven effective in reducing pests like codling and diamondback moths. Still, their high production costs have constrained their usage in lower-value crops like soybeans and maize. Researchers are investigating the creation of pheromones in plants by locating the pest genes that produce pheromones and introducing them into plants.

Another interesting source of natural insecticides is endophytic fungi, which live in plant tissues without harming them. These fungi can improve plant performance in stressful environments and generate pest-controlling compounds. These metabolites present a source of prospective pharmacological and agrochemical components. Other alternatives to pesticides include plant extracts and essential oils. Some biodegradable substances are not completely safe. Compared to synthetic pesticides, pyrethrum, made from chrysanthemum flowers, is less hazardous to mammals and birds but more damaging to aquatic life. Thymol and eugenol, two essential oils rich in terpenoids and phenylpropanoids, have shown effectiveness against pests like varroa mites and weevils.