scholarly journals Botanical biopesticide combination concept—a viable option for pest management in organic farming

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Srinivas Reddy ◽  
N. Mounica Chowdary

Abstract Background Entomopathogens are frequent natural enemies of arthropods worldwide, and they are capable of alternative control agents against the important pests. The optimally selected botanical product can minimize their harmful effect on these entomopathogens, and it becomes essential to know the influence of combinations of botanicals and biopesticides (botanical biopesticide combination (BBC)) in comparison to their sole action. Main body Botanicals, especially neem products, are highly efficient to be combined with the entomopathogens (with some exceptions). There are many possible reasons for the synergistic action of these botanicals, attacking the immune system of the insect being one of the important ones. These botanicals when applied in combination with microbial pesticides showed maximum sublethal effects rather than complete mortality, making them the best alternatives for combating resistance development in insects. To work effectively, biological control agents must be used within a compatible program combined with botanicals. It is highly difficult for such products to compete with chemical controls in high-value crops, so where they can become a commercially viable option in organic cultivation. The increasing acreage is under organic production for high-value export crops, where pesticide residues are undesirable for the environment, and biopesticides and botanicals are good choices for crop protection. Concerning the effect of these products used in pest control, a significant reduction in dosage in relation to the individuals is noticed. Conclusion By combining the performance and safety, biopesticides and botanicals are efficacious. This knowledge should facilitate the choice of biopesticides compatible with less harmful or naturally occurring botanicals. And if these have to be incorporated into a pest management program through an organic approach, it is necessary to determine the effects of botanicals on the beneficial microbes, on the behavior of pest, the importance of application technique, and the role of application timing for these botanical biopesticide combinations.

Author(s):  
J. R. Adams ◽  
G. J Tompkins ◽  
A. M. Heimpel ◽  
E. Dougherty

As part of a continual search for potential pathogens of insects for use in biological control or on an integrated pest management program, two bacilliform virus-like particles (VLP) of similar morphology have been found in the Mexican bean beetle Epilachna varivestis Mulsant and the house cricket, Acheta domesticus (L. ).Tissues of diseased larvae and adults of E. varivestis and all developmental stages of A. domesticus were fixed according to procedures previously described. While the bean beetles displayed no external symptoms, the diseased crickets displayed a twitching and shaking of the metathoracic legs and a lowered rate of activity.Examinations of larvae and adult Mexican bean beetles collected in the field in 1976 and 1977 in Maryland and field collected specimens brought into the lab in the fall and reared through several generations revealed that specimens from each collection contained vesicles in the cytoplasm of the midgut filled with hundreds of these VLP's which were enveloped and measured approximately 16-25 nm x 55-110 nm, the shorter VLP's generally having the greater width (Fig. 1).


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 531b-531
Author(s):  
J. Nienhuis

REDCAHOR is the Spanish acronym for “Central American Vegetable Network.” Vegetables have traditionally been an important source of nutrients and vitamins in the diet in Central America. Vegetable production in this region is now changing as local consumers are demanding increased diversity and quality and international markets are expanding with “non-traditional” vegetable exports. The present restraints to expanded research and production of vegetables in the region include i) need for cultivars with increased insect and disease resistance, ii) poor and excessive use of pesticides, and iii) inadequate postharvest technology. In addition, there are few vegetable researchers in the region and response to their activities have not been coordinated. The goal of REDCAHOR is to develop a regional network of national institutions that can prioritize agendas and cooperate to maximize the impact of available resources. Establishment of a system of regional trials and cooperative regional programs in integrated pest management and plant breeding are currently under development. A series of regional workshops are planned, including integrated pest management, maintenance and use of genetic resources, organic production, and greenhouse production. In addition, REDCAHOR, in collaboration with the Escuela Agricola Panamerica in Honduras, will offer regional short-course training in vegetable breeding and genetics as well as vegetable production and management, including integrated pest management.


1996 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reuben Ausher

Protection of crop and ornamental plants from noxious organisms — insects, nematodes, mites, pathogens and weeds — is indispensable to modern agriculture. Despite intensive control efforts, about 50% of the world's crops are lost to these organisms, at an estimated annual cost of about 400 billion dollars. Ever since the advent of synthetic pesticides in the 1940s, modern crop protection has been largely based on chemical control. Pesticide expenditures are about 20% of total farming input costs, although this figure varies substantially according to crop and region. Mounting environmental concerns and pest control failures have made It increasingly clear that the use of toxic pesticides In agriculture should be drastically reduced all over the world.


2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 1813-1825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelagh T DeLiberto ◽  
Scott J Werner

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 580-593
Author(s):  
M A. Bryzgalina ◽  

The demand for organic food is a prerequisite for the formation and development of organic agriculture, and the task of promoting it on domestic and foreign markets is among the priority ones. A serious problem in the sale of this category of goods to the domestic food markets of the country is the distrust of potential consumers. It is possible to solve this problem through certification and the use of a well-known brand. Certification of manufacturers of environmentally friendly products is a rather complicated and expensive procedure, therefore it is not available for most agricultural producers in the Saratov region. However, basing on the fact that today the task of developing the organic agriculture industry is set at the level of the government of the country, it is possible to solve this problem with the support of the state. The article examines the enterprises of the Saratov region of various legal forms, which do not use fertilizers and chemical means of crop protection in the production of crop production. Using the example of agricultural organizations and farms in the region, a mechanism for subsidizing certification of the most promising producers of organic wheat (winter and spring) is proposed, which includes the allocation of targeted subsidies for its implementation. As a criterion for the selection of applicants for this type of state support, as well as the distribution of budgetary resources between them, it is proposed to use the average indicator (potential) of the annual volume of organic production in the work. As a result, direct participants in certification subsidies were selected from the compiled sample of the studied enterprises that do not use chemical plant protection products and mineral fertilizers and the total annual volume of their marketable wheat was determined. The author determined the maximum cost of quality confirmation procedures for one enterprise, taking into account the increasing coefficients per one day of inspection, and also established the largest amount of budgetary resources that may be spent on the implementation of the proposed measure. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed certification subsidy mechanism, the author developed formulas for determining the selling price of products in the promising organic segment, taking into account its increase by the level of premium premiums.


2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Toscano ◽  
F. Branca ◽  
Antonio Ferrante ◽  
D. Romano

Organic production must be carried out following the EU regulations and their protocols. On the contrary, conventional cultivation instead can be carried out using the best agronomic approaches available and using the latest innovative resources. Organic cultivation is more widespread in permanent crops (olive and grape crops) than vegetable ones, and even less in protected cultivation systems, due to the high intensity production processes which render the application of organic growing protocols more complex. The comparison between the two systems of cultivation, organic and conventional, is difficult because the two cultivation methods are often carried out in different farms and hence in different environmental conditions. Cultivation using the two methods was conducted in a greenhouse from November to March 2017/2018. Results demonstrated that the total fruit yield zucchini squash in organic cultivation was not significantly different to the conventional one (43.2 Mg ha-1 and 46.4 Mg ha-1, respectively). The agronomic inputs (fertilizers, fungicides, and insecticides) were higher in the organic cultivation system than conventional one. The water use efficiency was higher in the conventional cultivation system (150.6 kg m-3 ha-1) compared to the organic one (147.6 kg m-3 ha-1). No statistically significant differences were found for the fruit number per plant and for the marketable fruit at the end of the growing period. Significant differences for the harvest period were only detected for fresh weight, shape index, firmness, and titratable acidity. In conclusion, this work demonstrated that the organic system required higher inputs compared to the conventional cultivation. The extensive experience of the grower allowed for comparable yields between the two systems.


2022 ◽  
pp. 129-155
Author(s):  
Graham Matthews ◽  
John Tunstall

Abstract This chapter focuses on the crop protection and pest management of cotton crops in Southern Africa (Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Angola). It discusses how new technology will bring major changes in how cotton is grown in the future.


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