A Comprehensive Analysis of the Three Major Types of Biopesticides

Biopesticides refer to formulations that use living organisms (fungi, bacteria, insect viruses, genetically modified organisms, natural enemies, etc.) or their metabolites (pheromones, auxins, naphthaleneacetic acid, 2,4-D, etc.) to kill or inhibit agricultural pests. They mainly include: botanical pesticides, animal-derived pesticides, and microbial pesticides.

Botanical Pesticides

Thanks to their advantages of easy degradation in the natural environment and being pollution-free, botanical pesticides have now become one of the preferred green biopesticides, mainly including botanical insecticides, botanical fungicides, botanical herbicides, and plant photoactivated fungicides. To date, among the botanical insecticides with pesticidal activity discovered in nature are the Macleaya cordata insecticidal and fungicidal series produced by Yanglin Co., pyrethrins, nicotine, and rotenone.

Animal-derived Pesticides

Animal-derived pesticides mainly include animal toxins, such as spider venom, wasp venom, and nereistoxin. At present, insect virus insecticides have been widely applied in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Japan, and India, and more than 40 insect virus insecticides have been registered, produced, and applied internationally.

Microbial Pesticides

Microbial pesticides are biological formulations that use microorganisms or their metabolites to control harmful agricultural organisms. Among them, Bacillus thuringiensis belongs to the Bacillus group and is currently the most widely used, longest-developed, highest-yield, and most successfully applied biological insecticide in the world; insect pathogenic fungi belong to the fungal pesticides and have special efficacy in controlling pine caterpillars and rice black-tailed leaf disease; varieties such as cartap or dimethoate, which are derived and synthesized based on the chemical structure of the fungal pesticide nereistoxin, have been used in large quantities in actual production.