Natural Products as Green Pesticides

摘要

Our ability to provide adequate pest control to increase crop yields and reduce land requirements cannot keep pace with the growing demand of the world's population using conventional agriculture. The costs associated with the rapid development of modern pesticides include environmental contamination, unpredicted human health consequences and deleterious effects on wildlife and other non-targeted organisms in the food chain. This has driven the creation of the new field of green chemistry. This field includes the design of new processes and methods that reduce the use and generation of hazardous substances. Natural products are an excellent alternative to synthetic pesticides as a means to reduce negative impacts to human health and the environment. The move toward green chemistry processes and the continuing need for developing new crop protection tools with novel modes of action makes discovery and commercialization of natural products as green pesticides an attractive and profitable pursuit that is commanding attention.