Roles of Natural Products for Biorational Pesticides in Agricultuure

Chemical products from nature have been used to control insect and microbial pests since the early beginnings of agriculture. Since these primitive years, natural products have played a direct role in controlling weeds, insects, plant pathogens, and nematodes. Topics of this AGRO (Agrochemicals Division) symposium at the 254th ACS meeting highlighted the use and importance of natural products as biorational pesticides as they relate to agricultural commodities. Papers presented focused on the isolation of and applied use of natural products to agricultural systems, comprising topics such as: host plant volatiles as attractants of herbivorous insects; synthetic formulations of semiochemicals as insect monitoring tools; sensitive collection techniques for in situ or in-field analyses of plant volatiles; plant-insect, plant-microbe interactions that influence insect pests or beneficial insects; plant- or microbe-produced natural products that influence insects, pathogens, nematodes, or weeds; plant-plant interactions that influence plant defense systems; and, plant-incorporated protectants for crop pest management. Scientific experts presented original research results and review of important topics from a number of diverse disciplines, including, analytical and environmental chemists, chemical ecologists, entomologists, and plant physiologists.