BIOPESTICIDE TO PROTECT SELECTED CROPS AGAINST PESTS AND DISEASES
MANY HAVE STARTED advocating different organic farming methods. But with the incidence of plant pests and diseases, there is still the need to eradicate or control these problems to make organic farming sustainable. In the field of biology, a pathogen in the oldest and broadest sense is anything which can cause disease.A pest is a plant or animal which is detrimental to humans or human concerns, such as agriculture or livestock production; thus, in its broadest sense, a pest is a competitor of humanity.
These pests and diseases include microscopic pathogens and submicroscopic pathogens and insects in the environment which can cause significant damage to plants.Managing these plant pests requires a multi-pronged approach like the use of pesticides and biopesticides.
Pesticides are substances meant for attractingthen destroying any pest.The use of pesticides is so common that the term “pesticide” is often considered synonymous with “plant protection product.” Although pesticides have benefits, some also have drawbacks, such as potential toxicity to humans and other species.
To manageplant health problems, it is very important to identify the causal agents accurately, and toisolatethe causal agentprecisely. Thus, sufficient information from the grower is needed, likehealthy versus unhealthy plants, thepresence of possible agents responsible for the problem,growing conditions, and growing practices. RESEARCH AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES In an effort to address the problem, researchers from the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) have found at least six plants possessing botanical pesticide or biopesticide properties, which can be an alternative to commercial pesticides.Botanical pesticides or biopesticide are substances derived from plants that