Botanicals
Plants defend themselves against insects/animals that eat them (herbivores) and disease organisms by producing chemicals. These chemicals, called “botanicals”, can be extracted and used as alternatives to chemical pesticides. They need to be applied more often because they degrade more quickly. However, compared to conventional pesticides, botanicals are of low toxicity especially to mammals (except nicotine).
More information on Botanicals can be found at:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN197
http://www.ncsu.edu/sustainable/IPM/insects/botan.html |