Application of Nanotechnology in Insect Pest Management: A Review

Abstract

Insect pests are one of the most concerned biotic obstacles in agriculture and humans are constantly in search of new strategies to control them. Chemical pesticides are extensively used for controlling insect pests which cause a lot of problem, such as pest resistance, elimination of natural enemies, environmental pollution, loss of biodiversity and human health hazards. As an alternative pest control strategy, the application of nanotechnology in insect pest management can be one of the most promising ways to overcome the problems related to the application of conventional chemical pesticide. According to various research findings, the nano based materials are described as very effective in insect pest management because they have larger surface area which ensures the contact of more volume of pesticides with the insect pests. They also provide selective, targeted and long term-controlled release of formulation of nanomaterial which is ecologically more viable. Moreover, the required amount of nano-insecticide is also very small for controlling insect and thus the pesticide load in the environment gets reduced. So, use of nanotechnology for insect pest management is considered as environmentally sustainable and a brilliant insect control strategy in green agriculture. SAARC J. Agric., 19(2): 1-11 (2021)

Preparation of the environmentally friendly green nano insecticide using copper salts

“…Note that the recorded fact distinguishes whiteflies as their tolerance and resistance to many chemical pesticides, so the Nanopesticide can be considered very effective and it is recommended to use it to combat this pest. This results identical to [6][3] were founded whiteflies have the ability to develop resistance to both conventional and nonconventional insecticides. Through the results obtained, the nanoparticles from the aqueous extract of naringin (Citrus aurantium) showed a very high significant effect in the mortality rate of the mosquitoes of the third and fourth stages and the virgin in vitro; in addition to its significant effect on the mortality rates of the white fly stages in the laboratory and in the field.…”

“…Five eggplant seedlings were purchased in pots and placed inside breeding houses covered from the outside with a dull cloth. Seven pairs of whitefly's adults were released into each cage for the insect brought from greenhouses and from both sexes and after 24 hours of laying eggs, the eggs were isolated for each seedling, with the same the method for nymphs, replicates (eggs, nymphs) were treated, duplicates were treated with the prepared pesticide by sprinkler, and the killing numbers readings were taken and recorded after 24, 48, and 72 hours, and the percentage of pesticide efficacy was calculated using the percentage killing percentage according to Abbot's formula [6], after which the percentage of the killed percentage was converted into proportions Angle according to and then subjected to statistical analysis [22] (1)…”

“…It was pointed out the importance of using a pesticide to control white flies on citrus fruits in Iraq and the midacloprid, carbosufan and methyl pesticides were also given the highest rates to kill the whitefly [3,4].The second half of the twentieth century witnessed an increase in the use of chemical pesticides in controlling various agricultural pests, and it was later found that many pesticides have high toxicity and affect human and animal health as well as negative effects on the entire ecosystem. Likewise, the discovery and use of techniques such as encapsulation and controlled release led to a radical change in the use of pesticides, as many pesticide companies produced products containing nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 100 to 250 nanometers that could dissolve in water more than it is in current pesticides [5,6].In addition, the nanoparticles have a role in treating pollution from chlorine solvents, organic chlorine pesticides, organic dyes and many inorganic compounds [7].The amount of agricultural pesticides used in Iraq is frightening and requires a serious pause to limit its use or the use of advanced modern pesticides because it causes many serious diseases, including kidney failure, cancers of all kinds, congenital and reproductive malformations and neurological diseases [2,8].Also, farmers' failure to use the recommended concentrations and relying on their personal experiences in using these preventive and professional pesticides led to a reduction in safety methods, and the occurrence of injuries and poisoning for farmers [1,2,9].Previous experiments demonstrated the possibility of synthesizing copper oxide nanoparticles using plant extracts and testing their efficacy as a preservative for wood by using extracts from neem leaves (Azadirachta indica, Pongamia pinnata, Lantana camara and Citrus reticulata ) this is for the synthesis of copper [10].While another study showed by summarizing the data of plants used to synthesize CuNPs nanoparticles and opening a new path for researchers to explore those plants that had not been used in the past [11].Also another study showed the development of a non-toxic and cost-effective biological method for the synthesis of CuNPs, which is a green method for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles within 15-20 minutes and its high effectiveness against many pathogenic microbes [12,13,14]. Therefore, this study aimed to arrive at a preparation of an environmentally friendly insecticide using copper nanoparticles and to replace the chemicals in preparing copper nanoparticles using the active ingredients of naringin (Citrus aurantium) extract to control the whitefly.…”

Nature to Nurture: Chitosan nanopowder a natural carbohydrate polymer choice of egg parasitoid, Trichogramma Japonicum Ashmead

“…One area where nanotechnology has shown promise is in improving regulated ecological life support systems. This has been highlighted in several recent studies, including those conducted by Zannat R et al (2021) [ 22 ], [ 23 ], and [ 24 ]. These studies have demonstrated the potential of nanotechnology to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of ecological life support systems, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of our planet.…”

Nano-bioformulations: emerging trends and potential applications in next generation crop protection

“…113 The agricultural application of nanotechnology extends to the development of efficient formulations including pesticides, insecticides, insect repellents and pheromones. 107,114,115 Global scenario of nano-bioinsecticides Scientific research facilities and leading agrochemical producers (such as Novartis AG, Bayer, BASF, Indigo, Symrise, Monsanto, Dow AgroSciences, and Syngenta) have consistently endeavoured to develop nanoinsecticides, with many of these formulations being subject to patents. In the last 20 years, more than 3600 nanoformulation insecticides have been granted patents.…”