06/17/2025

Pesticides

Muhammad Muneeb
Lecturer – RIPS

Pest

Any animal, insect or plant, fungi,

algae, bacteria, virus or anything
which damage the store grains, food
stuff, cultivated crops, plants and
medicinal plant is called pest.

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Pesticide

• A pesticide is any toxic substance used to

kill animal or plants that cause economic
damage to crop or ornamental plants or
are hazardous to the health of domestic
animals or humans.
OR
• According to EPA substances or mixtures
of substances intended for preventing,
destroying, repelling or mitigating any
pest is called as pesticide.

Pesticide

• A pesticide may be a chemical

substance, biological agent (such
as a virus or bacteria),
antimicrobial, disinfectant or
device used against any pest.

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Properties of Pesticides
• Pesticides produce their effect by
inhibiting or destroying the
metabolic processes of animals.
All pesticides have their
own:
• Mechanism of action
• Potency
• Speed of effect (onset of action)
• Dose required to produce effect

Types of Pests

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Types of
Pests

Animal Pests

Rodents Insects

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i. Rodents

• Responsible for damaging &

destroying medicinal & agricultural
crops

• They spoil and contaminate the

crude drugs in storage that makes
them unsuitable for use in
pharmaceutical industry

i. Rodents

• The spoilage and contamination is done by:

• Excretory products

• Hairs

• Rodents responsible for damage may be:

• Rabbits

• Rats

• Mice

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ii. Insects

• More than 1M species of insects

are present in this world

• Out of these, 10K species are

responsible for crop eating

• Out of 10K, only 700 species can

cause epidemic loss to medicinal
plants and crops

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ii. Insects

• Biting Insects: Grasshopper, corn

ear worm. They bite seeds, stem,
fruit and leaves etc.

• Sucking Insects: Suck instead of

biting and examples include
mosquito and butterflies

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Plant Pests

Weed Fungi Microbes

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i. Microorganisms

• Microorganisms e.g., Bacteria and Viruses

• Bacteria: Xanthomonas causing leave
spots

• Viruses
• Tobacco mosaic by Tobacco mosaic
virus (TMV)
• Bean mosaic by Bean mosaic virus
(BMV)

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ii. Fungi

• Wheat rust is caused by fungus Puccinia

graminis

• Red rot of sugar cane by fungus

Colletotrichum falcatum

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iii. Weeds

• Undesirable plants in desirable or cultivated

plants

• Consume minerals; water and fertilizer given to

cultivated plants hence inhibit their growth.

• May also be toxic e.g., spores of Agrostemma

githago contain cyanophore glycoside and which
upon hydrolysis release HCN

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What are Pesticides?

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Classification of Pesticides by Chemistry

Inorganic pesticides Organic pesticides Biological pesticides

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i. Inorganic Pesticides

These molecules do not contain

carbon e.g.,

• Heavy metals – lead and arsenic

• Copper products

• Sulfur products

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ii. Organic
Pesticides

These molecules contain carbon,

may be chains or rings e.g.,
• Neem oil
• Pyrethrins
• Spinosad

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iii. Biological
Pesticides

• Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and

plants

• Nematodes, insects and other

parasites or predators

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• Rodenticides

• Insecticides
Pesticide
Grouping
• Herbicides

• Fungicides

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Mechanism of Action

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Mechanism of Action

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Choice of Chemicals

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High margin of safety

Safer

Easy to handle and for application

Show no toxicity
Essentials of
Good Pesticides Inflammable or explosive character

Palatability of the food products

Not show the residual effects of pesticides

Available easily at affordable cost

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Pesticide Route of
Entry

• Dermal (skin) – Most common

• Oral

• Ocular

• Respiratory

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Philosophies of Pest Control

Chemical technology Ecological pest management

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i. Chemical
Technology

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ii. Ecological
Pest
Management

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Methods of Pest Control

Mechanical Environmental
Biological method
method of pest method of pest
of pest control
control control

Agricultural
Chemical method
method of pest
of pest control
control

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1. Mechanical Pest Control

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Introduction

• Any physical activity that inhibits

unwanted plant growth

• Mechanical, or manual, weed control

techniques manage weed
populations through physical
methods that remove, injure, kill, or
make the growing conditions
unfavorable

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Methods

• Hand Picking
• Burning
• Trapping
• Pruning

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A. Hand Picking

• Large caterpillars e.g., a large, green

tomato hornworm larva can be
located rapidly and removed by hand

• Weeds are removed by hand picking

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B. Pruning

• Tent caterpillars gather on branches of

trees and oil-soaked by pruning or
cutting out such branches of trees is an
effective measure

• If the insect’s tent is located near the

trunk where the cutting is difficult, then
this part is burnt by a torch or burning
oil-soaked rags at the end of a long pole

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C. Burning

• Burning helps in destruction of

both animal and plant pests
removed by hand- picking and
pruning

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D. Trapping

• Special traps are used to catch

larger field insects, rats and mice

• Electrified screens specially

colored lights and other devices
are also employed for controlling
insects

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2. Biological Pest Control

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Biological Control

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Examples of
Biological Control

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Animals and Insects which

Feed Upon Small Forms

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Insects with Short Life Cycle

and Parasitize Larger Insects

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3. Environmental Pest Control

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Environmental Pest
Control

• Change of the surrounding

environment

• Interfere with supply of food

• Interfere with the life cycle of the pest

• E.g., removal of water or shorten the

water supply for mosquito life

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4. Agricultural Pest Control

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Agricultural Pest
Control

• Development of pest resistant

crops
• Crop rotation
• Deep ploughing
• Genetic control

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1. Development of
Pest Resistant Crops

• Involves cultivation of such crops

which are resistant to pests

• It may be achieved using

biotechnology and genetic
engineering

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2. Crop Rotation

• If the chief source of food of insect

is withdrawn for one or more
seasons, it will lead to elimination
of insects

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3. Deep Ploughing

• Deep ploughing will unearth the

“GRUB” (state of larvae) and
provides destruction of insects

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4. Genetic Control

• Plants or animals are bred to be

resistant to the attack of pests
• Chemical barriers
• Physical barriers

• Introduction of genes into crops from

other species: transgenic crops (Bt)

• Sterile males are released into pest

population

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5. Chemical Pest Control

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• Rodenticides

• Insecticides

Chemical Method • Herbicide

• Fungicides

• Repellents

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A. Rodenticides

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Rodents

• Rodents are mammals like rats, mice,

cats, dogs, monkeys etc.
• Some species e.g., brown rat, the black
rat, and the house mouse are serious
pests, eating and spoiling food stored
by humans, and spreading diseases
• Accidentally introduced species of
rodents are often considered to be
invasive, as they sometimes threaten
the survival of native species

A. Rodenticides
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Properties of
Rodenticides

• Rodenticides are chemicals which

are used to kill the rodents
• Rodenticides are incorporated
into the feeding stuff of the
rodents.
• But these must be:
• Sufficiently toxic to kill the
rodent
• Acceptable to the rodents to
be ingested in lethal
quantities to kill the rodent

A. Rodenticides
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• Norbormide

• Warfarin
Example of
Rodenticides
• Squill

• Nux vomica seeds

A. Rodenticides
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1. Norbormide

• NRB is specifically toxic to rats,

but it's relatively harmless to
other rodents and mammals

• Dose: 0.5% is sufficiently toxic to

induce death

• Mechanism of action: Death

occurs due to respiratory failure

A. Rodenticides
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2. Nux-vomica Seeds

• Biological origin: Strychnos nux-

vomica

• Family: Loganiaceae

• Toxic principle: Strychnine

• Mechanism: Increases the reflex

irritability of spinal cord and cause
convulsions
A. Rodenticides
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3. Warfarin

• It is an anticoagulant chemical
• It is tasteless
• It is mainly used in warehouses
• Mechanism: Death occurs due to
hemorrhage after the animals
have ingested four to five daily
doses.
• Dose: 1mg/kg body weight of
pesticide

A. Rodenticides
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4. Squill

• Biological origin: Urginea

maritima
• Family: Liliaceae
• Part used: Dried inner fleshy
scales of bulb
• Toxic principle: Scilliroside
• Mechanism of action: Respiratory
failure and convulsions

A. Rodenticides
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4. Squill

• Caution: Very irritant to human

skin
Advantage:
• Safe for mammals and domestic
animals
• Cause instant vomiting
• Specific for rodents

A. Rodenticides
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5. Chemical
Rodenticides

• Sodium flouracetate
• Thallium sulphate
• Zinc phosphide
• Arsenic trioxide
• Barium carbonate

A. Rodenticides
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5. Chemical
Rodenticides

Thallium:
• Used in past but is toxic
• Reported toxicity is neuropathy
and hair loss
Barium Containing Rodenticides:
• Toxicity is hypokalemia associated
with abdominal pain, nausea and
diarrhea.

A. Rodenticides
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B. Insecticides

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Insecticides

• Toxic chemicals used to kill insects

are called insecticides

• Insecticides are classified

according to the life cycle of
insects which they affect

B. Insecticides
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Nomenclature

• Specific species

• The stage in the life cycle

B. Insecticides
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Stages in the Life

Cycle of Insect

• Ovicides (Against the egg stage)

• Larvicides (Against the larvae)
• Muscicides (Against the house fly)
• Pediculicides (Against the body louse)
• Scabicides (Against the scabies mite)

B. Insecticides
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Types of Insecticides

• Stomach poison

• Contact poison

• Repellents

B. Insecticides
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Life Cycle of an Insect

B. Insecticides
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Culture Control

B. Insecticides
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A. Stomach Poisons

• For insects having biting or

chewing mouth parts

• Applied in the form of solutions or

suspensions which are sprayed on
the crops

B. Insecticides
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A. Stomach Poisons

• A thin layer of poisons remain on the

surface of leaves or other plant parts

• Poison is also ingested along with the

plant parts, which is absorbed from the
stomach and lead to the death of the
insect due to:
• Respiratory failure
• Nervous system depression

B. Insecticides
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A. Stomach Poisons
Method:

•Substance is sprinkled over the plants

•The resinous material gets attached to
various plant parts
•When biting insects eat the plant,
toxic material is also taken in
•After ingestion, respiratory failure
leads to death

B. Insecticides
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A. Stomach Poisons

Main Acid lead arsenate (for growing plants)

Stomach Basic lead arsenate (for growing plants)
Poisons
Calcium arsenate (For tomatoes, potatoes and cotton)

Sodium fluoride

Thallium sulphate

Phosphorous compounds

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

These poisons kill the pest when come in

contact with pest

These poisons penetrate through the skin

or cuticle and cause death of the pest

Contact poisons are effective against

sucking insects and are used in the form
of residual sprays, dust, aerosols

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

Two types of Contact Poisons:

• Natural contact poisons
• Tobacco leaves
• Pyrethrum flower
• Derris root
• Synthetic contact poisons
• Organic sulphur compounds
• Halogenated organic compounds
• Organic compounds

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons
1. Tobacco Leaves
• Synonyms: Tobacco, Tambaku
• Biological Origin: Nicotiana
tabacum
• Family: Solanaceae
• Part Used: Cured and dried leaves
• Habit: Annual herb

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons
1. Tobacco Leaves
Geographical Source:
• Tobacco is indigenous to tropical
America
• It is cultivated on large scale in
China, United States and India.
• It is also produced in Brazil, Turkey,
Russia and Italy

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

1. Tobacco Leaves
Constituents:
• 0.6-9% nicotine
• Nor nicotine
• Nicotianin
• Pyridine type alkaloid
• Characteristic alkaloid of the genus
• Prepared commercially Waste material
of Tobacco industry
B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

1. Tobacco Leaves
Properties of Nicotine
• Oily, volatile liquid
• Colorless to yellow in color
• Brown on exposure to air
• Acrid taste
• Completely soluble in chloroform, alcohol
and ether
• Seeds don’t contain nicotine

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons
1. Tobacco Leaves
• Pyridine like flavor
• Very toxic
• It is present in plat as: 18% stem,
64% leaves, 13% root and 5% flower
• It cause death by convulsions
• Effective against soft pests

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

1. Tobacco Leaves
Solution Concentration:
• Pyridine alkaloid (nicotine) is very
toxic and proved to be very
effective insecticide
• 40% solution is nicotine sulphate
is used as insecticide for aphids (a
class of insects)

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons
1. Tobacco Leaves
Advantage
• High margin of safety for plants.
• Nicotine preparations are safer,
easier to handle
• Due to the volatile nature of
nicotine, it disappears quickly
leaving no residue on treated
plants

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

1. Tobacco Leaves
Toxic Effects:
• Local irritant
• Paralyzent

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

2. Pyrethrum Flower (Insect Flowers)

• Biological Origin: Chrysanthemum
cinerariifolium
• Family: Asteraceae
• Part Used: Dried flower heads
• Habit: Perennial Herb
• Habitat: Cultivated in Yugoslavia, Brazil,
Africa etc.

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

2. Pyrethrum Flower (Insect

Flowers)
Constituents:
• Pyrethrins (0.5%) (Pyrethrin-I,
Pyrethrin-II)
• Chrysanthine

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

2. Pyrethrum Flower (Insect Flowers)

Pyrethrins:
• Class of organic compounds have
potent insecticidal activity by targeting
the nervous systems of insects
• Synthetically made by industrial
methods, considered an organic
insecticide, or at least when is not
combined with piperonyl butoxide or
other synthetic adjuvant

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

2. Pyrethrum Flower (Insect Flowers)

• Gradually replacing organophosphates
and organochlorides as the pesticides,
since other compounds show
significant and persistent toxic effects
to humans
• Preferable to pyrethroids, which is the
name of a group of synthetic analogues
of pyrethrin

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons
2. Pyrethrum Flower (Insect
Flowers)
Uses:
• Insect flowers are a contact poison
for insects
• It is used in the form of powders or
sprays
• Pyrethrin provide quick knock
down of flying insects

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

3. Derris Root (Poison Vine / Tauba Root)

• Biological Origin: Derris elliptica
• Family: Fabaceae
• Part Used: Dried roots
• Habitat: Cultivated in Philipines,
Malaysia, Indonesia and Burma
• Constituents: Rotenone

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

3. Derris Root (Poison Vine / Tauba

Root)
Uses:
• Insecticide (Widely used in agriculture)
• No side effects on crops and garden
plants
• Leaves no harmful residues

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

4. Lonchocarpus Roots
• Synonym: Lonchocarpus roots, Cube
roots, Timbo, Barbasco
• Biological Source: Dried roots of
Lonchocarpus utilis, L. urucu
• Family: Leguminoseae.
• Geographical Source: Lonchocarpus is
indigenous to Peru and Brazil. It is also
produced in British and Dutch Guiana

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

4. Lonchocarpus Roots
• Constituents: 3–10 % rotenone
• Uses: Lonchocarpus roots owe its
action to the presence of
constituents similar to those of
Derris and are used for the same-
purpose.

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

5. Neem
• Synonym: Neem, Margosa,
• Biological Source: Dried stem bark, root
bark, leaves and fruits of Azadirachta
indica also, known as Melia azadirachta
• Family: Meliaceae

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

5. Neem
Geographical Source:
• Neem is native of the arid region of
India and Pakistan.
• Neem is found abundantly in India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, Malaysia, and Mauritius,
countries of East and South Africa and
in tropical Australia.

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

5. Neem
Constituents:
• The complex tetranorterpenoid
lactones azadirachtin (Most
Active), Nimbin, nimbidin, salanin
and nimbolin B

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

5. Neem
Uses:
• Neem oil extractive is a resinous dark
byproduct of neem oil refining. It is well
known that neem possesses low- to
medium-contact toxicity which is
restricted to soft body insects, and its
use as an insecticide alone does not carry
much conviction with the user

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons
6. Sulphur Compounds
• Traditional and ancient remedy for
scabies. E.g.,
• Carbamates
• Thiuram derivatives
• Mercaptens
• Thiazines
• Organic thiocyanates

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

7. Chlorinated Hydrocarbons
• Synthetic contact poison
• Dicophane / (D.D.T) or Dichlorodiphenyl
trichloroethane
• Gamma benzene hexachloride
• DDT is used for the eradication of head
lice, and gamma benzene hexachloride
is used to treat scabies and it also
destroy head lice

B. Insecticides
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B. Contact Poisons

8. Organophosphorous Derivatives
• These are used as contact and
systemic poisons e.g.,
• TEPP (Tetraethylpyrophosphate)
• Parathion
• Chlorthion

B. Insecticides
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C. Repellents

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Repellents

• Protect the attack of insects

• Used in the form of sprays and
aerosols
• Citronella oil was used as repellents
• Dimethyl phthalate is used topically
on skin
• Diethyl toluamide is effective against
mosquito

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D. Herbicides

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D. Herbicides

Herbicides

• These chemicals are used to

destroy/kill the weeds
(undesirable plants which grow
among the cultivated
crops/medicinal plants)

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D. Herbicides

Classification on Basis of Selectivity

Selective herbicides Non-selective herbicides

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D. Herbicides

1. Selective Herbicides

• Selectively eliminate the weeds and

have little or no effect on the cultivated
plants

• 2, 4 D (2,4-Dichloro phenoxy acetic acid)

• 2, 4, 5 D (2,4,5-Trichloro phenoxy acetic

acid)

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D. Herbicides

2. Non-Selective
Herbicides

• These are equally toxic for weeds

and cultivated plants

• Sodium cyanide

• Potassium cyanide

• Ammonium thiocyanide

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D. Herbicides

Classification • Contact
on Basis of
Mode of Action • Translocated

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D. Herbicides

1. Contact Herbicides

• When the chemicals kill the

plants by coming in contact with
them

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D. Herbicides

2. Translocated
Herbicides

• Chemicals that kill the plants

after their absorption by
accelerating or retarding the
metabolic activities of plants

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D. Herbicides

• Pre-plant herbicides – Are applied on the

field before planting the crop.

Classification
• Pre-plant emergence herbicides – Are
on Basis of applied before emergence of weeds.
Time of
Application • Past-emergence herbicides – Are applied
after the emergence of weeds.

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D. Herbicides

• Clear waste ground

• Some plants produce natural herbicides,

such as the genus Juglans (walnuts)

Use of • Applied in total vegetation control (TVC)

Herbicides programs for maintenance of highways and
railroads

• Smaller quantities are used in forestry,

pasture systems, and management of areas
set aside as wildlife habitat

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E. Fungicides

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E. Fungicides

Fungicides

• Biocidal chemical compounds or

biological organisms used to kill or
inhibit fungi or fungal spores

• Fungi can cause serious damage in

agriculture, resulting in critical losses of
yield, quality, and profit

• Fungicides are used both in agriculture

and to fight fungal infections in
animals

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E. Fungicides

Types of Fungicides

• Protectant fungicides

• Eradicant fungicides

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E. Fungicides

i. Protectant Fungicides
• Used before the attack of fungus
• In the form of sprays
• Seed fungicides eliminate the spores
which germinate along with seeds
• Bordeaux mixture (Copper sulphate,
Water, lime) – Used in vineyards, fruit-
farms and gardens to prevent infestations
fungi
• Other examples are
• Copper sulphate
• Copper carbonate
• Mercury compound

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E. Fungicides

ii. Eradicant
Fungicides

• Used after the attack of fungi

• Lime sulphur mixture
• Formaldehyde 40%
• Quaternary ammonium compounds
• Chlorophenol

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Concerns with
Pesticide Use

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• Kill beneficial insects and plants (non-

selective)

• Pollution – run off into irrigation water and

then into rivers - damages wildlife habitat,
kills fish
1. Environmental
Concerns • Cause cancer – organophosphates

• Disrupt the natural ecosystem and natural

biodiversity

• Creates chemical resistance – insects and

weeds

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• Aesthetics – used regularly in city

parks and other recreational areas to
control insect damage and weeds
2. Society and
Environment • Protect humans from insect-borne
diseases; mosquitoes transmit many
diseases, Malaria

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• Development of resistance by pests

• Resurgences (pest comes back

stronger)
Chemical
Technology • Secondary pest outbreaks (different
Problems pest)

• Adverse human health effects

• Adverse environmental health effects

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