Promising Natural Products in Crop Protection and Food Preservation: Basis, Advances, and Future Prospects

Abstract

The increase in demand for agricultural produce necessitates the continuous search for affordable, ecofriendly, readily available crop protectors, and food preservatives. Historically, the use of various chemicals was employed in controlling plant diseases and to maintain food quality. In the past few decades, several natural product-based alternatives have been discovered and projected as better alternatives to synthetic pesticides and other synthetic agrochemicals. Recent studies focusing on the application of different botanicals in crop protection and food preservation were carefully selected and reviewed. The application of plant extract in the biogenic preparation of nanoparticles was also reviewed. This review confirms that several natural products can be used as a safe replacement for synthetic agrochemicals. Different plant extracts have also served as feed for the synthesis of nanoparticle, which is increasingly applicable in crop protection and food preservation.

Efektivitas Ekstrak Daun Nerium oleander L. terhadap Populasi dan Intensitas Serangan Spodoptera exigua (Hubner.) dan Pengaruhnya pada Produksi Bawang Merah

“…Berdasarkan hasil penelitian yang dilakukan menunjukkan bahwa semakin meningkat konsentrasi yang diberikan maka racun perut yang masuk kedalam tubuh larva akan semakin banyak sehingga larva akan semakin banyak mengalami kematian. Hal tersebut karena ekstrak daun N. oleander dapat berperan sebagai insektisida nabati yang bertipe racun perut dan penghambat daya makan larva (Ogunnupebi et al, 2020;Salim et al, 2016). Hasil penelitian tersebut sesuai yang dilaporkan Kamelia et al (2020) bahwa kombinasi ekstrak 20 mL Cymbopogon nardus dan 80 mL Nicotiana tabacum menyebabkan mortalitas Helopeltis antonii sebesar 93,30%, dan nilai LC50 ekstrak Tithonia diversifolia pada larva Plutella xylostella diperoleh pada konsentrasi 0,067% (Firmansyah et al, 2018).…”

Disease Forecasting for the Rational Management of Grapevine Mildews in the Chianti Bio-District (Tuscany)

“…Even though organic viticulture is practised in a total of 63 countries across all continents, the highest concentration is found in Europe. In organic viticulture, even though many alternatives, such as essential oils and plant extracts with potential antifungal activity have been proposed [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ], copper-based fungicides have been, and still are, intensively used to prevent downy mildew [ 24 ]. The lack of penetrative capability and the curative activity of copper fungicides lead to very frequent treatments, which are often applied weekly throughout the season, to provide an adequate protection from infections [ 25 ].…”

A Phytocomplex Obtained from Salvia officinalis by Cell Culture Technology Effectively Controls the Grapevine Downy Mildew Pathogen Plasmopara viticola

“…The extensive and uncontrolled use of synthetic pesticides significantly impacts human health and the environment [ 1 ]. Many countries are introducing more stringent regulations on the number and dosage of active compounds, answering public concerns.…”

“…These compounds generally have lower environmental persistence [ 6 ] and a better toxicological profile, with few exceptions [ 7 ]. The scientific community has identified many essential oils and plant extracts having pesticide potential [ 1 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]; however, only a few are now commercialized crop protection products [ 7 ]. Among the limits to using natural products in agricultural practice are the rapid degradation and volatilization of bioactive compounds in the field and the difficult standardization of the production process.…”