PESTICIDAL POTENTIAL OF ETHNOBOTANICALLY IMPORTANT PLANTS IN NEPAL – A REVIEW

Abstract

Pests are considered a major problem in agriculture as they cause a various degree of losses. The use of synthetic pesticides to control these pests has resulted in pest resurgences, pest resistance, environmental degradation and lethal effect to non-target organisms in the agro-ecosystems. To minimize or replace the use of synthetic pesticides, botanical pesticides are important alternatives. They possess a toxic effect against pest including repellent, antifeedant and antibiosis effect against insect growth. In Nepal, among 5,345 species of flowering plants, 324 species have pesticidal properties. Some of the botanicals like Neem, Tobacco, Sweet flag, Garlic, Mint, Ginger, Artemisia, Sichuan pepper, Adhatoda, Basil, Drum-stick, Jatropha, Polygonum, Lantana, Chinaberry etc are widely used in pest management and many types of research have been done to explore the potential of these botanicals. This study aims to review the insecticidal potential of these important ethnobotanical plants. The biopesticides made from these botanicals were found to be effective against various pests. However, efficacy was found to be variable and often lower than that of synthetic pesticides.