PRODUCTION OF INSECTICIDES

In nature, plants protect themselves against insect attack by mechanical and chemical defenses.
Despite presence of various chemical defenses, every year insects cause substantial losses in
agricultural crops and in forestry. The estimated of insecticidal uses to prevent the loss of food
grains costs about $6,000 million.

The efficacy of neem-based insecticides and the approval for its use in the developed countries has
stimulated research and development on other botanical insecticides. The natural insecticides of
plant origin are effective against a wide range of insects, many of which cannot be successfully
controlled by synthetic insecticides. Unlike synthetic insecticides, natural compounds are relatively
non-hazardous to human beings and other mammals.

Phytoecdysreones are one of the botanical insecticides; they can disrupt the growth cycles of insects
and can result in the formation of abnormal adults. Another botanical insecticide is the azadirachtin;
it has been used for centuries as medicine, soap, insecticides, etc.

The rotenoids are used as insecticides and also as fish poison in tropical countries; rotenone dusts
and sprays have been used for years to control aphids, certain beetles and caterpillar on plants, as
well as fleas and lice on animal. Economically important natural insecticides are the pyrethrins,
these, have lethal effect against broad range of insect species, have low mammalian toxicity and
without any residual effect.

Quassin is used for insect control in organic orchards; it has been tested on more than 100 insect
species and appears to be selectively effective against sawfly, larvae, aphids and locust. Limonene
insecticidal effect extends to most of the pests, lice, mites and ticks and has no toxic effects on
mammals.

An insecticide with toxic effects is the ryania, it produces vomiting, weakness and diarrhea; rigidity
of the muscles and depression of the central nervous system, which can lead to a coma and death
from respiratory failure at high doses. Sabadilla is not particularly toxic to mammals, but does cause
irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract.

In the exploitation of natural compounds of plant origin as insecticides, the main problem is to
ensure their sustainable supply at low cost. Although plant tissue culture techniques provide one of
the solution to this problem, however, most of the attempts made so far, failed because of the low
productivity of target compounds in cell cultures.