Environmentally friendly pesticides

With improvements in scientific knowledge and related technology, there is an expectation that more environmentally friendly pesticides will continue to be introduced, and that ecotoxicity testing procedures will become more sophisticated. There is much interest in the introduction of better testing procedures that work to more ecologically relevant end points than the lethal toxicity tests that are still widely used. Such a development should be consistent with the aims of organizations such as FRAME and ECVAM, which seek to reduce toxicity testing with animals. Mechanistic biomarker assays have the potential to be an important part of... 

The peak period for the use of aldrin and dieldrin was between the late 1960s and the early 1970s throughout various parts of the world (WHO, 1989). The use pattern of aldrin and dieldrin are quite similar. They act as effective contact and stomach poisons for insects. They are used to control soil insects (e.g. grasshoppers and corn rootworm), and protect crops and wooden structures from termites (WHO, 1989). The production of aldrin and dieldrin has decreased since the early 1960s. In the United States, the peak use of aldrin from 19 million pounds in 1966 decreased to 10.5 million pounds in 1970 (USEPA, 1980). During this same period (1966-1970), annual dieldrin use dropped from 1 million to 670,000 pounds. These decreases were primarily due to increased insect resistance to the aldrin and dieldrin, and to the development and availability of more effective and environmentally friendly pesticides (USEPA, 1980). 

Process design the report discusses the development of a number of products specifically designed to reduce environmental impact. These include flocculating and chelating agents for water treatment chemicals to aid recycling paper, gels for land reclamation and more environmentally friendly pesticides. 

ElShafei GMS, El-Said MM, Attia HAE, Mohammed TGM. Environmentally friendly pesticides Essential oil-based w/o/w multiple emulsions for anti-fungal formulations. Industrial Crops and Products. 2010 31(1) 99-106. 

A solvent free, fast and environmentally friendly near infrared-based methodology was developed for the determination and quality control of 11 pesticides in commercially available formulations. This methodology was based on the direct measurement of the diffuse reflectance spectra of solid samples inside glass vials and a multivariate calibration model to determine the active principle concentration in agrochemicals. The proposed PLS model was made using 11 known commercial and 22 doped samples (11 under and 11 over dosed) for calibration and 22 different formulations as the validation set. For Buprofezin, Chlorsulfuron, Cyromazine, Daminozide, Diuron and Iprodione determination, the information in the spectral range between 1618 and 2630 nm of the reflectance spectra was employed. On the other hand, for Bensulfuron, Fenoxycarb, Metalaxyl, Procymidone and Tricyclazole determination, the first order derivative spectra in the range between 1618 and 2630 nm was used. In both cases, a linear remove correction was applied. Mean accuracy errors between 0.5 and 3.1% were obtained for the validation set. 

TRANSMITTANCE-NIR AS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TOOL FOR QUALITY CONTROL AT PESTICIDE INDUSTRY... 

The economic impact of pesticides in nontarget species (including humans) has been estimated at approximately 8 billion annually in developing countries (Wadhwani and Lall 1972). For developing countries, it is imperative to use pesticides, as no one would prefer famine or hunger but the prices of pesticides are high and therefore allelopathy is cheap and environmental friendly solution. 

This selective toxicity of the larvae s weapon suggests practical applications. Western subterranean termites are economically significant pests, considered to be the most destructive of all California termites. A pesticide directed specifically against them and harmless to other creatures would be environmentally friendly and extremely useful. Exterminators could rid a house of termites without endangering the residents or destroying beneficial insects. The chemical nature of this toxin is still unknown. We can only wonder what substance can rapidly paralyze one kind of termite and leave other insects unscathed. 

Herbicides control weeds and are the most widely used class of pesticides. The latest US EPA data show that some 578 million pounds of herbicides were used in the United States in 1997 and accounts for some 47% of pesticides used. This class of pesticide can be applied to crops using many strategies to eliminate or reduce weed populations. These include preplant incorporation, pre- and postemergent applications. New families of herbicides continue to be developed, and are applied at low doses, are relatively nonphytotoxic to beneficial plants and are environmentally friendly. Some of the newer families such as the imidazolinones inhibit the action of acetohydroxyacid synthase that produces branched-chain amino acids in plants. Because this enzyme is produced only in plants, these herbicides have low toxicities to mammals, fish, insects, and birds. 

This section has covered only a few of the pesticides available today on the United States and world markets. An understanding of the basic chemical processes affected by pesticides has led to the discovery and production of new families of chemicals. Today s modem pesticide is generally safe to use if the directions on the label are followed. Advances in instrumentation and an understanding of how adverse health effects are produced have resulted in the production of many environmentally friendly but effective pesticides. 

Remark whereas in organic farming mineral nitrogen fertilizers, herbicides or conventional pesticides are forbidden, they are allowed in other so-called environmental friendly system approaches, e.g. sustainable agriculture or conservation agriculture (see Dumanski et al. 2006). 

A positive assessment of environmental friendly land use systems is only possible, if the methods are well transferred into practise free of pesticides traditional products... 

There are no easy disposal methods that are safe, economical and generally applicable under circumstances prevailing in developing countries. Conventional methods such as burning or burying of unused pesticides are not environmentally friendly because the end result may be damage to human health and the environment. 

Lecithin may also find a significant home in applications of fertilizers or growth promoters. Lecithin that has been acidified with propionic acid can significantly enhance the performance of some plant growth modifiers (393). With continued emphasis on environmentally friendly agrochemicals, and concern about pesticide residues in the food supply, the potential for lecithin in agriculture appears poised for growth. 

CABI Bioscience s Biopesticides Programme is committed to the development and use of biopesticides as safe, environmentally friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides. The Programme carries out collaborative inter-disciplinary research and development, offers training in insect pathology, runs the International Biopesticide Consortium for Development (IBCD), disseminates information and promotes the role and value of biopesticides in sustainable crop production, poverty alleviation and wealth generation. 

---