Efficacy of botanical repellents on major pests - A review

Abstract

One of the most common strategies in managing insect pests is repellence. This technology comes from early farming practices. The worldwide evaluation aims to evaluate the current state of research and development on the repellent properties of various botanical products to incorporate them reliably into pest management systems. As a result, many countries are returning to plant-based repellants to combat pest insects and vertebrates. Olfaction and gustatory action are the two mechanisms used by plant-derived repellents. It can be classified by their modes of action, including genuine repellents, attraction inhibitors, contact irritants, antifeedants or deterrents and visual barriers. Ecologists are concerned about the potential harm contemporary pest control methods may pose to vertebrate wildlife. Therefore, caution is needed in agricultural settings when treating major pest groups, such as beetles, whiteflies, fruit flies, honey bees and vertebrate pests. Botanicals have significant advantages, being eco-friendly, non-phytotoxic and safe for both the agroecosystem and the environment. In modern agriculture, synthetic pesticides or repellents are crucial in helping farmers control pests. However, it may harm non-target insects, cause significant environmental contamination and affect human health. The current review revisits the urgent and comprehensive needs that must be met to conduct additional research on both known and unknown plants that contain compounds that repel pestiferous taxa throughout agroecosystems. These plants have the potential to be widely utilized as botanical biopesticides, but current research is increasingly focused on their bio-repellent properties, both globally and in India.