1. Botanical insecticides and their future
perspectives
By,
Bharati Singh

2. Characteristics of botanical insecticides
• Fast breakdown, Fast action
• Phyto toxicity, selectivity
• IPM friendly, cost and availability
Just because a pesticide is natural, does not
mean it is safe

3. Limonene and linalool
• Extracted from orange and other
citrus fruits
• Limonene , a terpene, and purified
by steam distillation
• Linalool, a terpene alcohol, found
in small quantities in citrus peel
d- limonene

4. • Limonene often applied with PBO (pyperonil
butoxide)
• Target pests: Fleas, aphids, mites, flies, paper wasp
• Mode of action:
• Act as nerve toxin and stomach poisons(limnonene)
• Affects ion transport and release of acetyl choline
esterase(linalool)

5. Rotenone
• Isolated from the roots of two tropical legumes
Lonchocarpus or Derris
• Extremely toxic to fish
Root of the Tuba
Rotenone structure
Deguelin structure
roots of the legume family (Fabaceae).

6. • Target pests: caterpillers, aphids, suckers and other
pests found in fruits and vegetables , certain beetles
• Mode of action- inhibits the electron transport chain in
the mitochondria
Rotenone’s safety is
somewhat
controversial
Electron Transport Chain

7. Sabadila
• Extracted from the seeds of the sabadilla
lilly (Schoenocaulon officinale)
• cevadine + veratridine = veratrine
2 : 1
S. Officinale
White hellebore

8. Mode of action
• Similar to that of the pyrethrins as it affects
the voltage dependent sodium channels of
nerve axons.
• Veratridine causes an increase in the duration
of the action potential

9. Ryania
• Obtained from the roots and stems of a South American
herbs (R. speciosa)
•
contain alkaloids with insecticidal activity, collectively
known as ryanoids

10. Ryanodine
mode of action
• Slow acting stomach poison
• Block neuromuscular junction
Neuromuscular junction
Most active ryanoid is ryanodine and 9,21-dehydroryanodine

12. Future Perspectives
• Botanical insecticides (BI) were major weapons (before 1940’s)
• Use of BI in California grew by almost 50% between 2006 and 2011
• Quite logical to expect coexistence of the two kinds of compounds i.e
synthetic and natural insecticides
• Barrier to commercialization
scarcity of natural resources
standarization and quality control
Regulatory approval

13. References
•
Dayan et al (2009), Bioorganic and medical chemistry 17, 4022- 4034, Natural
products in crop protection
•
Isman (1997) Phytoparasitica 25 (4): 339-344, Neem and other botanical
insecticides:Barriers to commercialization
•
Isman, Annu. Rev. Entomol.2006.51:45-66
•
Martina et al, Agriculturae conspictus scientificus .Vol. 78 (2013) No .2 (8593),Botanical insecticides in plant protection
•
Nikoletta et al, pesticides laboratory,Pesticides of botanical origin: A promising tool in
plant protection