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Plant Natural Products for Pest Management: The Magic of Mixtures

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Advanced Technologies for Managing Insect Pests

Abstract

For the past few decades, considerable research has focused on pest management strategies that are ecologically rational, yet effective. Innovative developments include the use of natural products as botanical insecticides and antifeedants, intended to eliminate insects or regulate their growth and behavior. There are however, some drawbacks associated with the use of natural products, including the development of resistance and habituation in the insect pests following prolonged exposure. One simple way of combating these problems is through the use of chemically complex mixtures rather than individual compounds. The constituents of a mixture may interact additively or synergistically, thereby increasing the overall effect of the mixture as an insecticide, growth regulator or antifeedant. Plant-defense chemicals that exhibit more than one mode of action are also more suitable for crop protection. Herein we discuss the prospects of mixtures as effective, environmentally sound and cost effective insect control agents.

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Acknowledgement

We thank Rod Bradbury (Ecosafe Natural Products Inc., Saanichton, BC, Canada) for chemical analysis of the essential oil of cypress. Supported by an NSERC Discovery grant (2729–06) to MBI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Suite 248, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Yasmin Akhtar & Murray B. Isman

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  1. Yasmin Akhtar
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  2. Murray B. Isman
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Correspondence to Murray B. Isman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Volcani Center, Dept. of Entomology, Agricultural Research Organization, s/n, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Isaac Ishaaya

  2. College of Agriculture, Entomology, University of Kentucky, s/n, Lexington, 40546, Kentucky, USA

    Subba Reddy Palli

  3. , Entomology, Gilat Research Center, M.P. Negev, Gilat, 85280, Israel

    A. Rami Horowitz

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Akhtar, Y., Isman, M.B. (2013). Plant Natural Products for Pest Management: The Magic of Mixtures. In: Ishaaya, I., Palli, S., Horowitz, A. (eds) Advanced Technologies for Managing Insect Pests. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4497-4_11

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