Chapter 8 Opportunities and potentials of botanical extracts and products for management of insect pests in cruciferous vegetables

Publisher Summary Plants are efficient producers of chemical compounds that are used in defense against herbivore attack. Botanical compounds have been used in several parts of the world long before the arrival of synthetic pesticides. Plant-derived pesticides or extracts containing active compounds can be used directly and can also form the basis for synthesizing products with similar or even better insecticidal properties. For example, pyrethrum has been used as the basis for the synthesis of the synthetic pyrethroids, which are important in modern chemical crop protection. Most widespread among the synergists are the inhibitors of different insect enzymes, including mixed-function oxidases and esterases. This chapter focuses on the effects of some crude extracts from plants and some commercially available botanical insecticides on important insect pests of cruciferous vegetables. The botanical materials include crude extracts and isolated or purified compounds from various plants species and commercial products. The insect pests tested include Trichoplusia ni, Spodoptera exigua, S. litura, Pieris rapae, Helicoverpa spp., Evergestis rimosalis, and Mythimna separate in Lepidoptera, Aphis gossypii, Lipaphis erysimi, Myzus persicae, Brevicoryne brassicae, and Bemisia spp . in Hompotera, Phyllotreta vittata in Coleoptera, and L. sativae in Diptera. The advantages and disadvantages of using those materials and the potential of these botanical materials in the integrated pest management of cruciferous vegetables are discussed in the chapter.