What Are Biopesticides? A Detailed Guide to Identifying Genuine and Fake Products

Pesticides are agents commonly used in agricultural production to prevent pest and disease infestations, and they are divided into biopesticides and chemical pesticides. But many people are unclear about what biopesticides refer to, and they do not know how to identify genuine and fake products. Let's take a look below.

1. What do biopesticides refer to?

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.

Regarding the scope of biopesticides, there is still no very accurate and unified definition at home or abroad. In terms of what they use, biopesticides are generally divided into two major categories: those that directly use living organisms and those that use physiologically active substances derived from organisms. The former includes bacteria, fungi, nematodes, viruses and antagonistic microorganisms, etc., while the latter includes agricultural antibiotics, plant growth regulators, sex pheromones, feeding inhibitors, juvenile hormones and physiologically active substances derived from plants, etc. However, in the actual application of agricultural production in China, biopesticides generally mainly refer broadly to microbial-source pesticides that can be produced on a large industrial scale.

2. How to identify genuine and fake biopesticides?

To accurately determine whether a pesticide product is genuine or fake, or of inferior quality, it usually requires a legally designated pesticide quality testing unit to make the determination based on the various technical indicators and testing methods specified in the product standards.

1. Check the product packaging specifications

Biopesticides such as plant-source, mineral-source, microbial, protein and oligosaccharide types generally have large usage amounts and large packaging specifications. If the packaging specification is within 50 milliliters (grams), it is very likely to be a fake pesticide.

Plant growth regulators (such as brassinolide, etc.) and sex attractants are used in small amounts. If the packaging specification is above 100 milliliters (grams), it is very likely to be a fake pesticide.

2. Check the dosage indicated on the product label

Biopesticides such as plant-source, mineral-source, microbial, protein and oligosaccharide types are used in relatively large amounts, generally with a dilution ratio below 500 times. If the external packaging indicates a dosage of several dozen milliliters (grams) per mu, or a dilution ratio above 1000 times, then the product may be fake.

3. Check the product's scope of application

Biopesticides such as viral types and sex attractants generally act on only one kind of pest. If such a pesticide is labeled as having multiple uses, then the product may be fake.

4. Check the product's shelf life

The active ingredients of microbial pesticides are living organisms, which do not store well, and the shelf life is generally from half a year to one year. If such a product indicates a shelf life of two years, then the product may be fake.

5. Check the product's description of efficacy

Biopesticides such as plant-source, mineral-source, microbial, protein and oligosaccharide types have relatively slow effects. If they are claimed to act rapidly or have fast-knockdown action, then the product may be fake.