Bio Pesticides - Benefits & Barriers:

     Bio pesticides are biochemical pesticides that are naturally occurring substances that control pests by nontoxic mechanisms. Conventional pesticides, by contrast, are generally synthetic materials that directly kill or inactivate the pests. For example, a plant in the presence of chitosan will naturally induce systemic resistance (ISR) to allow the plant to defend itself against disease, pathogens and pests. These pesticides which are considered eco-friendly and are easy to use have no harmful effect on the soil.

     Due to public concern about the risks associated with chemical pesticides, the federal government of USA is re-evaluating registrations granted prior to 1995, with current expectations for public health and environmental protection in mind. The result has been that several older products that have not met the current standards for registration are no longer supported for registration by their manufacturers, and are no longer available for use in agricultural applications. Some bio-pesticides currently being developed in Canada may be excellent alternatives to chemical pesticides.

The advantages of using bio-pesticides

• Bio-pesticides are usually inherently less toxic than conventional pesticides.
• Bio-pesticides generally affect only the target pest and closely related organisms, in contrast to broad spectrum, conventional pesticides that may affect organisms as different as birds, insects, and mammals.
• Bio-pesticides often are effective in very small quantities and often decompose quickly, thereby resulting in lower exposures and largely avoiding the pollution problems caused by conventional pesticides.
• When used as a component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, bio-pesticides can greatly decrease the use of conventional pesticides, while crop yields remain high.
• To use bio-pesticides effectively, however, users need to know a great deal about managing pests.
• Cheap, renewable can be handled safely.
• Difficult for insects to develop resistance to these pesticides.

What are the disadvantages of using Bio-pesticides

• Slow effect.
• Lack persistence and wide spectrum activity.
• Rapidly degraded by UV lights so residual action is slow.
• Seasonal availability of plants products indicates the needs for storage.
• They are not available easily.
• Poor water solubility and generally not systemic in nature.
• All products applied followed by growers have not been scientifically verified. 

For more information: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/bio-pesticides-benefits-barriers