Introduction

Pesticide is any agent used to kill or control undesired insects, weeds, rodents, fungi, bacteria, or
other organisms. These are derived from various chemicals and they contain different elements.

In order to meet the needs of a growing population, agricultural production and protection of
technology have to play a crucial role. Substantial food production is lost due to insect, pests, weeds,
rodents, nematodes and during storage.

Pesticides are now basic needs for agriculture production. Almost every country in the world uses
pesticides. Pesticides industry inspite of various hazards has been playing important role in green
revolution.

Pesticides industry has developed substantially and has contributed significantly towards India’s
agricultural and public health. In value terms the size of Indian pesticide industry is $3.8 billion in the
year 2011.

India is predominant exporter of pesticide to USA, Europe and African countries. Agriculture is the
backbone of the Indian economy. Apart from fertilizers, pesticides played important role in the
green revolution during the last five decades. Indian exports of agrochemicals have shown an
impressive growth over the last five years. India is one of the most dynamic generic pesticide
manufacturers in the world with more than 60 technical grade pesticides are manufactured
indigenously by 125 producers consisting of large medium scale enterprises including about 10
multinational companies and more than 500 pesticides formulators spread over the country . In
1948, it was first made use for malaria control and in 1949 it was first made use for agricultural
purpose. Then the indigenous production of pesticides began with the establishment of a DDT and
BHC plant in 1954. Thereafter a steady growth in production took place with maximum growth
occurring during the period 1966 to 1977. The Indian Pesticide industry with 85,000 metric tonnes
(MT) of production during financial year (FY) 07 is ranked second in Asia (behind China) and twelfth
globally. In value terms, the size of the Indian pesticide industry was estimated at Rs.74 bn for 2007,
including exports of Rs. 29 bn. Though pesticides have made us self-sufficient in our food needs, the
per hectare consumption of pesticides in India is very low.
CLASSIFICATION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SOME MAJOR PESTICIDES

Pesticide is any agent used to kill or control undesired insects, weeds, rodents, fungi, bacteria, or
other organisms. These are derived from various chemicals and they contain different elements.
Hence, in general any pesticide shall be classified based on the pest they kill and based on the
chemical groups they contain

Apart from this, pesticides can be basically characterized by their physical, chemical and
toxicological properties. Toxicity may be acute or chronic and it depends on type and dose of
pesticide taken and mode of intake.

An appreciable amount of food is lost due to insect pests, plant pathogens, weeds, rodents, birds
and in storage. Pesticides include insecticides, fungicides, herbicides,algaeside,
fungicide,bacteriacide,biopesticide at different stages of agricultural production.

There are many different types of pesticides, each is meant to be effective against specific pests. The
term "-cide" comes from the Latin word "to kill."

• Algaecides are used for killing and/or slowing the growth of algae.
• Antimicrobials control germs and microbes such as bacteria and viruses.
• Biopesticides are made of living things, come from living things, or they are found in nature.
• Desiccants are used to dry up living plant tissues.
• Defoliants cause plants to drop their leaves.
• Disinfectants control germs and microbes such as bacteria and viruses.
• Fungicides are used to control fungal problems like molds, mildew, and rust.
• Herbicides kill or inhibit the growth of unwanted plants, aka weeds.
• Insecticides are used to control insects.
• Insect Growth Regulators disrupt the growth and reproduction of insects.
• Minimum Risk Pesticides are exempt from EPA registration, but many states require them to
be registered.
• Miticides control mites that feed on plants and animals. Mites are not insects, exactly.
• Molluscicides are designed to control slugs, snails and other molluscs.
• Mothballs are insecticides used to kill fabric pests by fumigation in sealed containers.
• Ovicides are used to control eggs of insects and mites.
• Pheromones are biologically active chemicals used to attract insects or disrupt their mating
behavior. The ratio of chemicals in the mixture is often species-specific.
• Plant Growth Regulators are used to alter the growth of plants. For example, they may
induce or delay flowering.
• Repellents are designed to repel unwanted pests, often by taste or smell.
• Rodenticides are used to kills rodents like mice, rats, and gophers.
• Wood Preservatives are used to make wood resistant to insects, fungus and other pests.

Trending pesticides

BIOPESTICIDES: Growing environmental concerns and consumer inclination towards

chemical free crops especially food crops there has been increasing use of bio-pesticides.
Three major classes of biopesticides are microbial pesticides, biochemical pesticides and
plant incorporated pesticides Bio-pesticides getting importance as they are less toxic than
conventional pesticides which has become serious threat to environment due to its
increasing use. Bio-pesticides affect only the target pest and closely related organisms.
Several factors such as new products, end user acceptance and acceptance of substitutes to
conventional pesticides and declining market for harmful organophosphate insecticides,
have fueled the market growth. Delivering a better alternative to manage harmful insects,
weeds and fungal plant pathogens, bio-pesticides is poised to witness robust gains in coming
years. The United States represents the largest region for bio-pesticides worldwide. Europe
represents the fastest growing regional market for bio-pesticides. With the growing
acceptance of bio-pesticides as an efficient crop protection alternative with eco friendly
footprint, several agricultural chemicals are leaning towards bio-pesticides
Some of the important bio-pesticides are:
• Trichogramma
• Fungi (Trichoderma and Gliocladium)
• Baculovirues
• Bacillus thuringiensis
• Neem
As the organic food business is growing, demand for non-toxic pesticide for crop protection
is increasing. Use of bio-pesticides is being encouraged by Govt. of India as part of integrated
pest management programme.
 New Generation Insecticides: Looking to environmental hazards of chemicals used as
pesticides in the past, new generation of pesticides with reduced risks to the environment
and human health has developed and are being used. These pesticides tend to be rather
surgical in method of their redicing number of insects. Some of the new generation
pesticides are Neoniconoids, Spinosyns and Spimosoids, Indoxcarb, Fiproles or
phenylpyrazoles, pyrazolesa, pyridazinones, quinazolines. Seven classes of insecticides
which have appearance in recent years are Methyxyacrylates, npahthoquinones,
Nereistoxin, Nereistoxin analogues, Pyridine azomethine, Pyrmidinamines, Tetronic acids,
Clofentezine.

Insect Growth Regulators (IGRS): IGRS are compounds which alter the normal growth of
process of insects and therefore can be used to control insect populations. Some of the IGRS
are Juvenile hormone based insecticides, Tebufenozide, Fenoxycarb

Assignment

• Define Pesticides
• Define algicide
• Define rodenticide
• Define herbicides
• Explain pesticide formulation
• Write short note on pesticide
• Write short note on bio pesticide