Bioproducts

(Biopesticides)
CH303
Lecture 15
IITDH
Pesticides
 Biopesticides
• Biopesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from such
natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals.
 Corn (Maize) diseases-Fungal/Insects

Gray leaf spot Northern corn leaf blight Southern corn leaf blight

Southern rust Common rust

• BioLogic Insecticide is a US-based startup that offers a naturally occurring
compound as a biopesticide. The pests develop a preference for the startup’s
bait sweetener and carry it back to the site of their origin for a greater impact. It
kills fruit flies, pharaoh ants, pee aphids, but does not affect the beneficial
insects. Low-cost, non-toxic, and environment friendly.

• Danish startup BioPhero develops pheromones for pest management. It uses a

yeast-based fermentation process to produce concentrated and stabilized
pheromones against a variety of pests. Fermentation allows BioPhero to
synthesize pheromones at a large-scale and inexpensively, unlike synthetic
pesticides, enabling row-crop applications. The startup’s products target cotton
ball worms, diamondback moth, rice stem borers, and fall armyworms.

• WeedOUT is an Israeli startup that develops sterile pollen as a herbicide. The

startup’s proprietary weed pollen is applied artificially during the weed
flowering period. It competes with naturally occurring weed pollen and, on
fertilization, leads to the formation of aborted seeds. Since the pollen is specific
to the weed, it has no side effects on the crop. The startup is developing pollen
for palmer amaranth, waterhemp, and rigid ryegrass.
 Bio pesticide start-ups

• Canadian startup Bee Vectoring Technologies uses commercially grown

bees for precision agriculture. The bees pass through an inoculum dispenser
system where they pick up the biopesticide and deposit them on the plants.
The startup’s biopesticide solution, BCT-CR7, uses a naturally-occurring
endophytic fungus. It is especially effective against fungal pathogens, such
as Botrytis and Sclerotinia. The fungus improves the yield for a variety of
crops, including strawberries, sunflowers, and apples.

• The US-based startup AgroSpheres develops controlled release biopesticide

solutions. Its proprietary AgriCell technology encapsulates, delivers, and
sustainably releases the active ingredient in a controlled manner over a
course of weeks. AgriCell Biologicals delivers ribonucleic acid interference
(RNAi) pesticides with high efficacy and low production costs.
Videos related to biopesticides

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqaIJk_VcsI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As8CaeJva3A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zySjdXI1Nc0