Open AccessBiological control in crop protection: Problems and perspectives
Author(s) -
Nenad Filajdić,
Petar Vukša,
M. Ivanović,
Emil Rekanović
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
pesticidi
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2406-0844
pISSN - 0352-9029
DOI - 10.2298/pif0302069f
Subject(s) - biopesticide , bioproducts , crop protection , pesticide , microbiology and biotechnology , biosafety , agrochemical , biological pest control , business , crop , toxicology , legislation , fungicide , biology , agroforestry , agriculture , agronomy , ecology , biofuel , political science , law
The idea of fighting pathogens, pests, and weeds by biological measures is not new. Only recently, however, has the need for this aspect of crop protection and related bioproducts arisen. Increasingly stricter legislation concerning pesticides and new information about their potential harmfulness have narrowed the scope of products, offered by large agrochemical companies, thus reducing the prospects of successful and profitable crop protection. In addition, there has been a high risk of resistance of harmful organisms to classical pesticides which throws new light on problems that the industry of chemical pesticides encounters. The control of harmful insects by bioproducts has been a matter of utmost interest, mainly due to a relative success of products, based on Bacillus thuringiensis. However there has been a few more successful attempts of developing biological fungicides, nematocides, and herbicides in the last decade. Still, crop protection products, based on living organisms, represent a small portion of total pesticide industry which amounts to approximately 32 billion dollars per year (Warrior, 2000). The majority of living organisms, been investigated with purpose of biological control, belongs to fungi, bacteria, or arthropods. Commercially, the number of those applied in biopesticides is small, especially because of limitations, imposed on reproduction and stability of organisms in storage and formulation of biopesticides. The aim of this paper is to describe the status of biological control in crop protection, problems encountered, and perspectives of its future development.