Commercial opportunities for pesticides based on plant essential oils in agriculture, industry and consumer products

Abstract

In spite of intensive research on plant natural products and insect-plant chemical interactions over the past three decades, only two new types of botanical insecticides have been commercialized with any success in the past 15 years, those based on neem seed extracts (azadirachtin), and those based on plant essential oils. Certain plant essential oils, obtained through steam distillation and rich in monoand sesquiterpenes and related phenols, are widely used in the flavouring and fragrance industries and in aromatherapy. Some aromatic plants have traditionally been used for stored product protection, but the potential for development of pesticides from plant essential oils for use in a wide range of pest management applications has only recently been realized. Many plant essential oils and their major terpenoid constituents are neurotoxic to insects and mites and behaviourally active at sublethal concentrations. Most plant essential oils are complex mixtures. In our laboratory we have demonstrated that individual constituents of oils rarely account for a major share of the respective oil's toxicity. Further, our results suggest synergy among constituents, including among those that appear non-toxic in isolation. Repellent effects may be particularly useful in applications against public health and domestic pests, but may be useful in specific agricultural applications as well. In all of these applications, there is a premium on human and animal safety that takes priority over absolute efficacy. In agriculture, the main market niche for essential oil-based pesticides is in organic food production, at least in developed countries, where there are fewer competing pest management products. There is also scope for mixing these oils with conventional insecticides and for enhancing their efficacy with natural synergists. Some examples of field efficacy against agricultural pests are discussed.

Potential Roles of Essential Oils on Controlling Plant Pathogenic Bacteria Xanthomonas Species: A Review

“…Traditional food preservation techniques alone cannot ensure the quality and safety of all food or agricultural products, and alternative preservation techniques, such as vapour phase and aroma-based techniques are being applied or investigated for their antibacterial or disease controlling potential (Isman, 2010;Lopez et al, 2005). Nevertheless, food processors and consumers have expressed a desire to reduce the use of both aggressive techniques and synthetic chemicals in food and agro products, mainly because the presence of chemical residues in foods and labelling of preservatives in food packages are major concerns nowadays.…”

Essential oil composition of Eugenia langsdorffii O. Berg.: relationships between some terpenoids and toxicity against Tetranychus urticae

“…15 Basically, such investigations have been mostly directed to the activities of the essential oil and, occasionally, the activities are attributed to the major isolated constitutes tested. 16 Taking this into account, the aim of the present study was to determine the chemical composition of E. langsdorffii, evaluate its fumigant and residual contact action against Tetranychus urticae, as well as, investigate the relationship between toxicities of β-pinene, p-cymene, valencene, aromadendrene and caryophyllene oxide and their blends.…”

Fumigant activity of Schinus terebinthifolius essential oil and its selected constituents against Rhyzopertha dominica

“…The ripened and unripened fruit oils were more effective than the positive control in the shortest evaluation time (24 h). This finding suggests that the greater activity of S. terenbinthifolius can be attributed to the chemical diversity of the oils, which may act through different active sites in the pest at the same time, leading to a faster, more effective response in comparison to the action of only one compound (eugenol) (Isman et al, 2011;Araújo et al, 2012). A possible explanation for the greater toxicity of the positive control against R. dominica beginning at 48 h resides in the polar nature of eugenol, which has slower evaporation, in comparison to the nonpolar nature of the oils, which are comprised mainly of monoterpene hydrocarbons.…”