Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PESTICIDES
Pesticides are preparations for the
eradication of plant and animal
pests, for the protection of plants,
animals and man.
About 800 compounds of active
ingredients of pesticides have
been registered world-wide.
Historical background:
- alkaloids nicotine and anabasine contained in
tobacco – insecticides
- pyrethrines contained in plants of the genus
Pyrethrum – insecticides
Pyrethrines later became the prototype for
synthetic pyrethroids
- rotenon – is highly toxic to all forms of life, is
from roots of lianas. Rotenon was used as a
piscicide and insecticide
- an important milestone was introduction of
phenyl mercury in 1913 for the protection of seed
– fungicide
- insecticidal effect of DDT was discovered in
1939 by the Swiss Paul Müller
Classification of pesticides
- fungicides
- zoocides (insecticides, rodenticides, molluscocides)
- herbicides – including desiccants
- selective
- non-selective
- plant growth regulators (to shorten the straw of
cereals)
Desiccation – drying
desiccant – drying agent
Desiccants are used for alfalfa (lucern) or clover for
seed: plants dry up and can be harvested.
Pesticide degradation
- in abiotic environment
the most important factors are light, temperature,
photolysis, free radicals produced in
photochemical reactions, hydrolysis
- in biotic environment
1. phase 2. phase
XH X – OH X – O – conjugate
The final products are inactive and are
excreted.
Pesticide transformation
- mostly detoxicative nature
- result may even be a more toxic substances
(desulphuration of organophosphates)
Today
Copper compounds – copper sulphate
- copper oxichloride
fungicides, algicides, molluscocides
Toxicity for fish – LC50 1 – 10 mg.l-1 depending on water
quality
Phenylpyrazoles
- insecticides
- antiparasitics