This document discusses biorational pesticides, which are defined as having fundamentally different and lower risk modes of action than conventional pesticides. It covers the history of pesticide use, the regulatory drivers for developing reduced-risk pesticides, and how biorationals fit into integrated pest management approaches. The document also describes different types of biorational products like insect growth regulators, microbials, botanicals, and neonicotinoids. It discusses how biorationals can help improve sustainability in agriculture, public health, and natural resource management by providing effective pest control while being safer for humans and the environment.

1. BIORATIONAL
PESTICIDE-WHAT
THEY ARE AND HOW
YOU CAN USE THEM
IN IPM
BY-Pooja Singh

2. CHEMICAL CONTROL:
INSECTICIDES

3. More Definitions:
 “Reduced-Risk” can be conventional pesticides that have: low
toxicity, low risk of groundwater contamination, low pest resistance,
are effective and compatible with IPM. Manufacturers aren’t
allowed to label products as “reduced-risk” and not all labeled uses
may be considered as “reduced-risk”. (Meisterpro Crop Protection
Handbook lists the reduced–risk pesticides)

4. Overview
 History of pesticides.
 Biopesticides-What are they?
 What makes to shift us from Biopesticides to Biorational
Pesticides.
 Introduction of Biorational Pesticides.
 Classifications.
 How they are introduced to Integrated Pest Management.
 Market Approach

5. Pesticides
 Controlling, preventing, destroying, repelling, or attracting any
biological organism deemed to be a pest.
 Insecticides
 Herbicides
 Fungicides
 Nematcides
 Bacteriacides
 Insect Growth Regulators(IGRs)
 Miticides
 Rodenticides etc.

6. Pesticides are very old.
 First Pesticide Used- 4,500 years ago by Sumarians.
Sulphur compounds on crops for insetcts/mites.
15th Century:
Arsenic , Mercury, lead,(for crops and to control body lice).
17th Century:
Nicotine sulfates (Insecticide on crops).
19th and 20th Century:
Pyrethrum (Natural pesticide from Chysanthamums) long
used to control insects.
DDT

7. Definition:
 No single, clear definition. EPA identifies biorational pesticides as
having “fundamentally different modes of action” and “lower risks
of adverse effects” than conventional (i.e. neurotoxin) pesticides.

8. Impetus forAll the Changes
 The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) to protect people,
especially children from over exposure to pesticides (from not just
crop residues but all sources).
 EPA gives expedited registration to “reduced-risk “ pesticides. Old
pesticides are being re-registered.

9. How Do Biorationals fit Into
IPM?
 Cultural control
 Host-plant resistance
 Physical/Mechanical control
 Regulatory control
 Chemical control*
 Biological control*

10. Types of Biorational Products
 Insect Growth Regulators (IGR) three main types
 Juvenile Hormones
 Precocenes
 Chitin Synthesis Inhibitors
 Low toxicity for birds, mammals, reptiles but effects non-target
arthropods and insects.
 Only immature pests are killed, IGR can also effect arthropod
eggs and embryogenesis.

11. Types of Biorational Products
 Insect Growth Regulators (IGR)
JH disruptor analogs - novaluron
Precocenes – methoprene, pyriproxyfen
Chitin Synthesis Inhibitors - cyromazine, diflubenzuron

12. Pyriproxyfen sub-lethal effects

13. Insects are killed when they grow
to a next developmental stage
Normal molt
Unsuccessful molt after Dimilin application

14. Types of Biorational Products
 Mite Growth Regulators (MGR) types
 Etoxazole - MGR - eggs and nymphs
 Clofentezine - ovicide (safe for predatory mites)
 Bifenazate – MGR (safe for predatory mites)
 Pyridaben – MGR (toxic to predatory mites also)
 Hexythiazox – ovicide/miticide (safe for predatory mites)

15. Types of Biorational Products:
 Botanicals and Florals
 Natural toxicants like nicotine
 Alkaloids (some are toxic to all animals)
 Neem (azadirachtin less toxic but still useful in greenhouses, UV
light breaks it down)

16. Types of Biorational Products
 Bacterial Fermentation Products
ACh receptors - Spinosad (has certified organic formulations)
GABA inhibitors - Avermectin

17. Types of Biorational Products
 Unique Modes of Action
 Lipid Synthesis Inhibitor
 Spiromesifen – and spirodiclofen are very new products with an
unusual mode of action from the “Tetronic acids” class of
pesticides. They have activity against mites, scale crawlers and
psyllid nymphs.

18. Types of Biorational Products:
 Microbials
 Bacteria (Bt varieties mostly)
 Fungi (Metarhizium anisopliae newest labels)
 Viruses
 Nematodes
 Genetically modified plants (Produce Bt toxins)
 Low toxicity for non-target animals
 Sensitive to environmental conditions, many have failed commercially

20. Types of Biorational Products:
 Neonicotinoids - related to nicotine and acts on the acetylcholine
receptors
 Imidacloprid most used worldwide
 Clothinidin
 Thiamethoxam
 Acetamiprid
 Dinotefuran * armored scales Safari®

21. Cost Comparison Example
 Neighbor has large juniper (Juniperus spp.) trees, provide winter
wind protection, almost always get drought stressed in summer but
won’t be replaced.
 Spider mites (Platytetranychus libocedri) on juniper (aka cedar)
attack almost every summer.
 Owner usually sprays with malathion, multiple times.

22. How does it fit into IPM?
 Cultural control
 Host-plant resistance
 Physical/Mechanical control
 Regulatory control
 Biological control
 Chemical control

23. Biorationals Place in IPM
 Don’t want to use the same mode of action pesticide every time you
treat.
 Cultural changes, if possible, mite? eliminate the need for treatment
 For a while, there were few economical alternative to conventional
insecticides

24. Which is more cost effective?

25. Biorationals and Sustainability
 Sustainability is a measure of a system’s capacity to endure. Typically, that measure is comprised of social, economic, and
environmental factors.
 The sustainability of agricultural production has undergone a great deal of scrutiny. Fairly or unfairly, pesticides are
perceived by many consumers as being harmful to public health and the environment. Some governments, especially the
E.U. and the U.S., are requiring re-registration of hundreds of pest control products, requiring them to meet more restrictive
standards. This has resulted in the loss of many conventional chemistries used widely used in crop protection programs for
years.
 In the private sector, many food companies have responded to sustainability questions by establishing in-house residue
limits that are more stringent than those imposed by their respective governments
 In the face of these challenges, today’s growers are required to produce more food than ever before while at the same time
reducing environmental impact. This is where biorationals play a key role.

26. Sustainability in Public Health
 The loss of traditional chemistries as well as the onset of insecticide resistance presents
challenges for those charged with disease vector management programs.
 Biorationals also play a critical role in promoting sustainable public health programs around the
world. Mosquito abatement program directors often includes biorational larvicides in their
integrated vector management programs. These biorationals target mosquitoes in the larval stage
– a more concentrated and stationary point in the pest development.
 Similarly, biorationals are used to battle forestry pests which can devastate woodland areas. In
this way, biorationals help to contribute to the sustainability of our precious natural resources. In
all of these areas, pesticides applications are often made in and around areas where people live,
work, and play. Since biorationals are highly effective on target pests but are safe to humans and
other non-target organisms, they offer sustainable solutions that maximize human potential

27. The Role of Biorationals
 The biorational product category includes a broad
range of substances used in agriculture, public health,
forest health, aquaculture, turf, structural pest control,
and home and garden markets.
 Biorational products are typically derived from natural
or biological origins and include biological pesticides
as well as products used for crop stress management,
enhanced plant physiology benefits, and root growth
management.
 They are characterized as being highly specific in their
activity while delivering distinct economic, health,
and/or environmental benefits.