Editorial Book

Book Title: Advanced Researches in Agricultural Sciences (Volume 2)

PAID ACCESS | Published on : 03-Aug-2026 | Pages: 136-143 |

Botanicals, Biopesticides, and Eco-Friendly Pest Control Approaches

• Mohd Anas
• PhD scholar, Division of Entomology, ICAR- IARI, New Delhi, India.


• S Vinotha
• PhD scholar, Division of Entomology, ICAR- IARI, New Delhi, India.


• Prajwal Gowda MA
• PhD scholar, Division of Entomology, ICAR- IARI, New Delhi, India.


• Sumaiya .
• PhD scholar, Division of Agricultural Chemicals, ICAR- IARI, New Delhi, India.

Abstract

Synthetic insecticides have driven insect pest management in cereal and other cropping systems for decades, but resistance, pest resurgence, and non-target toxicity have exposed the limits of continued reliance on broad-spectrum chemistry. This chapter reviews botanicals, biopesticides, and related eco-friendly approaches for insect pest management, restricting its scope to insect pests specifically. It covers plant-derived compounds such as azadirachtin, pyrethrins, and essential oils; microbial biopesticides including Bacillus thuringiensis, entomopathogenic fungi, viruses, and nematodes; biochemical and semiochemical tools such as insect growth regulators, pheromones, and push-pull strategies; and emerging technologies including RNA interference and nanotechnology-based delivery systems. The chapter also examines how these tools integrate with conservation biological control, and the practical constraints: formulation stability, speed of action, cost, and regulatory friction, that continue to limit their field-scale adoption. While botanicals and biopesticides are unlikely to replace synthetic insecticides outright in the near term, their selectivity, compatibility with natural enemies, and lower resistance-development burden make them an increasingly important component of integrated pest management. The chapter concludes that the practical way forward lies not in choosing eco-friendly tools over conventional ones, but in deliberately integrating both, guided by pest biology, economic thresholds, and the natural enemy community already present in the field.

Keywords

Botanical insecticides, Microbial biopesticides, Semiochemicals, RNA interference, Biological control, Integrated pest management

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