PESTICIDES
Pesticides are the substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying,
repelling or migrating any pest. A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as
virus or bacterium), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest. Pest includes insects,
plant pathogens, weeds, mollusks, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes and microbes that destroy
property, spread diseases or a vector for disease or cause a nuisance.
According to FAO any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying or
controlling any pest, including vectors of human or animal disease, unwanted species of plants or
animals causing harm during or otherwise interfering with the production, processing, storage,
transport or marketing of food, agricultural commodities, wood and wood products or animal
feedstuffs, or substances which may be administered to animals for the control of insects, arachnids or
other pests in or on their bodies. The term includes substances intended for use as a plant growth
regulator, defoliant, desiccant or agent for thinning fruit or preventing the premature fall of fruit. Also
used as substances applied to crops either before or after harvest to protect the commodity from
deterioration during storage and transport. The term excludes fertilizers and antibiotics or other
chemicals administered to animals to stimulate their growth or to modify their reproductive behavior.
Pesticide History:
Since the dawn of time, humanity had two primary goals-obtaining enough food to survive
and improving the quality of life. The single most important task facing the society is the production
of food to feed its population before it can devote resources to education, arts, technology or
recreation. A basic fact of green revolution in India which converted a food deficient state to food
surplus state was the ability to control pests, weeds, insects and disease by providing effective plant
protection umbrella coupled with sol-water management and high yielding varieties. Today’s farmers
regard pesticides as an essential tool to ensure that they can maintain production of crops of quality to
satisfy an increasing population.
Going through the history, we see evolution of pest control products from non-selective,
naturally occurring compounds to highly specific synthetic and biological materials that control
specific pests.
Era of Natural Products:
1000 BC
Elemental sulfur used in fumigation
15th century
Mercury, arsenic and lead used as insecticides
17th century
Tobacco extracts used as contact insecticide and nicotine used as fumigants
19th century
Natural pesticides pyrethrum derived from Chrysantenum and rotenone.
Era of Fungicides, Inorganics and petroleum products:
1854
CS2 used as fumigant
1873
Kerosene was used as dormant spray on deciduous trees
1883
Millardet discovered use of Bordeaux mixture
1930
Bacillius thurigensis used as microbial insecticides
1936
Pure pyrethrum extract was prepared
1938
First synergist chemical discovered and sesame oil found to enhance
effectiveness of pyrethrums
Era of Modern Synthetic Pesticides
1939
DDT’s insecticidal properties discovered by Paul Muller
