article · Academia Biology
Plant-derived materials, notably essential oils and botanical extracts, show substantial promise as natural alternatives to synthetic pesticides in crop protection. Evidence gathered between 2015 and 2026 demonstrates that these natural substances exert antibacterial, antifungal, insecticidal, phytotoxic, and antioxidant activities against various phytopathogenic threats. Observed biological actions stem from multiple mechanisms, such as cell membrane disruption, oxidative stress, metabolic disruption, and interference with neuronal signalling. While targeted activity has been demonstrated across in vivo, greenhouse, and post-harvest settings, robust evidence from open field trials remains limited. Direct comparisons between volatile oils and non-volatile extracts are hindered by differences in testing methods and reporting units. Practical agricultural adoption faces hurdles including natural chemical variability, lack of standardised testing methods, and formulation difficulties. Advances in controlled-release and nanotechnology formulations may help address these operational barriers.
Widespread reliance on synthetic pesticides causes substantial environmental harm, driving the search for ecological alternatives. Natural botanical substances offer diverse ways to suppress crop diseases, weeds, and pests without relying exclusively on synthetic chemicals. Addressing performance instability through better formulations could facilitate their integration into sustainable agricultural practices and food production systems worldwide.
Targeted at biopesticide manufacturers and sustainable agricultural producers, these natural extracts and essential oils offer potential treatments for crop disease and pest control. However, the technology remains largely at an early to intermediate developmental stage. Commercial readiness is currently held back by natural chemical variability, formulation instability, and a lack of extensive field validation, although controlled-release and nanotechnology systems are being explored to bridge the gap to practical field use.
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In recent years, environmental issues related to the extensive use of synthetic pesticides have attracted great attention to finding sustainable methods of plant protection. Plant-derived materials, particularly essential oils (EOs) and plant extracts, are considered to be potential sources of natural compounds because of their rich chemical composition and wide range of biological activities. This review summarizes scientific evidence published between January 2015 and May 2026 on the chemical composition and biological activities of plant-derived products against phytopathogenic bacteria, fungi, insects, and weeds. Across the studies reviewed, plant-derived products showed antibacterial, antifungal, insecticidal, phytotoxic, and antioxidant effects. Essential oils showed biological activity in many of the included studies, but their activity cannot be directly compared with that of nonvolatile extracts because the available studies differ considerably in the organisms tested, experimental methods, formulations, concentrations, exposure times, and units used to report activity. Biological activities have been associated with several mechanisms, including membrane disruption, oxidative stress generation, metabolic disturbances, and interference with neuronal signalling pathways. Activity against plant pathogens has also been reported in some in vivo, greenhouse, postharvest, and field studies, although evidence from field trials is still scarce. Molecular docking studies have proposed possible interactions between individual EO constituents and molecular targets involved in bacterial virulence or insecticidal activity, but these predictions still require experimental confirmation. Despite these encouraging findings, practical use of plant-derived biopesticides is still limited by chemical variability, lack of standardized methodologies, insufficient field trials, and formulation challenges. Improved formulations, including nanotechnology-based and controlled-release systems, may help overcome some of these limitations and facilitate their use in sustainable agriculture.
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DOI: 10.20935/acadbiol8506
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