Several Herbal Toxin-Free Pesticides Produced in Iran
“One of the initiatives of the Institute of Medicinal Plants is the production of various formulations of human and animal medicines, herbal pesticides, etc.,” Farzaneh Nabati, a faculty member of the institute, told ANA.
“The herbal pesticide project started about 4-5 years ago and has now reached a stage where we are obtaining final approvals from the Plant Protection Organization so that 5 herbal pesticides can enter the market to eliminate 5 main greenhouse pests,” she added.
“Thyme, rosemary, garlic oil, etc. are the basis of these pesticides, which do not harm the environment due to their herbal nature. These natural compounds destroy plant pests in a short period of time and can be used immediately. However, chemical pesticides should wait 10 days after spraying for the poison to decompose and reach the consumer,” Nabati said.
In a relevant development in 2023, Iranian researchers had produced a pesticide from walnut worm pheromones that is highly effective in the fight against pests.
Mohammad Hadi Ghasemi, Ph.D. in chemistry and a university professor in Tehran, said that producing the insecticide was the result of the implementation of a project entitled "indigenization and completion of the technical know-how to produce pheromone to combat walnut tree worm pest" done at the Tehran University Jihad Organization, to fight non-toxically against the walnut tree pest.
He stated that chemical communication in insects (pheromones) is the most important way to find mating partners, hosts, food, understanding dangerous situations and repelling enemies, adding, “Therefore, in the fight against this pest, the use of chemical signals is superior compared to visual and sound signals.”
“Due to the economic importance of insect sex pheromones, so far, these substances have been identified in different types of agricultural pests,” the researcher also said.
He stated that the full cycle of pheromone technology includes laboratory phases (synthesis and analysis), formulation (determining the optimal amount of pheromone components), preparation of dispenser (pheromone distributor) and operational tests on the field.
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