Crop losses due to pest & disease are problematic around the world. More than 30-50% of the yield is lost due to pests. Chemical pesticides have been able to control many of the pests over the past decades. However, issues of toxic residues in food/water/environment are threatening human & animal health. Chemical pesticides are also rendered inefficient due to resistance built-up in pests. This has necessitated search for bio-control agents, bio-pesticides and bio-metabolites.
Bio-pesticides are formulations of entomopathogenic (killing insects), fungicidal (killing fungi) and nematophagous (killing nematodes) microbes. Bio-pesticides control the pests by causing diseases. They are safe, residue free with zero pre-harvest intervals. Bio-pesticides are used as soil and foliar sprays. For best results bio-pesticides are incorporated into normal package of practices during farming. Main reason is create sufficient population density of bio-pesticide microbes which help reduce unnecessary sprays. For best results start early and check for compatibility with chemicals.