Current status and advancement of biopesticides: Microbial and botanical pesticides

Abstract

Biopesticides are considered to be the best alternative to synthetic pesticides that are highly effective, target specific and reduce environmental risks. These factors led to its application in pest management program instead of chemical pesticides throughout the world. Biopesticides are derived from animals, plants and other natural materials such as fungi, bacteria, algae, viruses, nematodes and protozoa. The advance research and development in the field of biopesticide applications greatly reduce the environmental pollution caused by the chemical synthetic insecticides residues and promotes sustainable development of agriculture. Since the advent of biopesticides, a large number of products have been registered and released, some of which have played a leading role in the agro-market. The development of biopesticide has prompted to replace the chemical pesticide in pest management. The current status and advancement of biopesticides focusing mainly on improving action spectra, replacing of chemical pesticides, its role in integrated pest management, proper application of botanical and semiochemical in pest management have been discussed in this review.