Control of stored products pests by natural products

Abstract: The use of natural products has been emerging as one of the prime means to protect crops and their products and the environment from pesticide pollution, which is a global problem. Natural products possess a spectrum of properties including insecticidal activity, repellence to pests, antifeedancy, insect growth regulation, toxicity to mites, and other pests of the agricultural importance. Also they possess antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties against pathogens. More significant use of natural products in practice will be possible if they are compatible with the following principles: safe, low toxicity, easy for application, minimal (or nil) problems with insecticide residues on foods, high efficacy at very low concentrations against stored grain insects, adult pests and their progeny, wide spectrum of efficacy against stored grain insect pests and field pests, low adverse effects on grain handling and quality properties, and acceptable in terms of price. Pronounced and multiple synergic modes of action substantially reduce or remove the need for synthetic chemical active ingredients, which reduces application and incidental exposure to these chemicals. Demonstrably safer natural products have advantage in the market where there is a growing aversion to conventional chemical products. In Croatia there is ongoing research on the development of new formulations of natural insecticides based on inert dusts and botanical insecticides and their combinations.