Managing plant pests with soaps

Abstract

Home gardeners and professionals frequently discuss the use of soap products to control plant pests. Limited and conflicting information on this topic has resulted in confusion and misuse of products. It is important to recognize that all soaps are not equal in safety or efficacy in plant-pest management. This 5-page fact sheet written by Matthew A. Borden and Adam G. Dale and published by the UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Department describes some of the different types of soaps and recommendations for proper, legal, and safe use of these products to manage pests. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1248

Biocidal Action of Sunflower Oil Based Soaps towards Bread Mould

“…They are actually surfactants which mean that there is no need for additional synthetical surfactants addition in the pesticide solutions. Cheap and easy for production (Abbasi et al, 1984;Puritch, 1981;Borden & Dale, 2019). The soaps can also be combined with other synthetically or biologically pesticides to increase their effectiveness (Kaya et al, 1995;Fournier & Brodeur, 2000;Oparaeke et al, 2006).…”