The role of botanicals as green pesticides in integrated mosquito management - A review

Abstract

Mosquito borne diseases are prevalent in more than 100 countries across the world, infecting over 700,000,000 people every year globally. Prevention of man mosquito contact is indispensable for protection from mosquito borne diseases. There has been a paradigm shift towards botanicals to overcome the problems associated with the use of synthetic compounds in mosquito management. DDT and BHC dominated the insecticide market (80.1% in 1970) until 1983, when their production was prohibited owing to prevailing resistance in treated species, resurgence, residual problem, biomagnification, environmental and health hazards. The application of easily degradable plant compounds is considered to be one of the safest methods to control insect pests and vectors. The present article thus envisaged to review the current status of botanicals as green pesticides in Integrated Mosquito Management. As the role of botanicals as mosquitocides has been found to be promising in preliminary screenings, recent technological developments in isolation and standardization of herbal pesticides need to gear up.