Good evening everyone
I hope we'll have a educative time together tonight. Bio-pesticides is so wide we'll be taking each part one at a time.
Tonight we do an introduction and focus on biofungicides.

What are Biopesticides?

Biopesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from such natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. For example, canola oil and many essential oils have pesticidal applications and are considered biopesticides.

Biopesticides can also be defined as largely microbial pathogens of the pest in need of control which can be processed and marketed in the same way as chemical pesticides.

Classes of Biopesticides

Biopesticides fall into three major classes:

1. Microbial pesticides: These biopesticides are produced by microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and certain fungi. Each type of microbial pesticide targets a specific species or small group of species. It is common that microbial pesticides control a large variety of pests.

2.Biochemical/herbal pesticides: These are substances
naturally occurring in the environment that control pests.
This could include plant extracts that lure and trap insects or insect pheromones that interfere with mating. It may include botanical extractions that are active against plant disease pathogens and other pests

3. Plant-Incorporated-Protectants (PIPs) are pesticidal substances that plants produce from genetic material that has been added to the plant. For example,scientists can take the gene for the Bacterial pesticidal protein and introduce the gene into the plant's own genetic material. Then the plant, instead of the Bt bacterium, manufactures the substance that destroys the pest. The protein and its genetic material, but not the plant itself, are regulated by suitable laws or regulations in countries of manufacture

What are the advantages of using biopesticides?

Biopesticides are usually inherently less toxic than conventional pesticides.
Biopesticides generally affect only the target pest and closely related organisms, in contrast to broad spectrum, conventional pesticides that may affect organisms as different as birds, insects and mammals.

Biopesticides often are effective in very small quantities and often decompose quickly, resulting in lower exposures and largely avoiding the pollution problems
caused by conventional pesticides.
When used as a component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, biopesticides can greatly reduce the use of conventional pesticides, while crop
yields remain high. To use biopesticides effectively (and safely), however, users need to know a great deal about managing pests and must carefully follow all label directions.

Biopesticides have been adopted worldwide either singly or in combination with conventional pesticides. Pesticide pollution continues to be a problem in agriculture, and the extensive use of chemical pesticides has depleted soil resources, increased pest resistance, and impacted food quality, often with serious effects in different parts of the food chain. Crops contaminated by pesticides are known to be responsible for many physical disorders and even death. Beans contaminated with pesticides is known to have caused the death of many here in Nigeria. Even glysophate is termed as carcinogenic in the USA and courts are awarding damages in the billions.
In this age, Bio-Pesticides may be the solution

To be continued