Green nanoemulsion interventions for biopesticide formulations

The development of sustainable and ecofriendly pest management strategies is a major challenge for modern parasitology and entomology. The current overuse of conventional synthetic pesticides is causing several hazards for both human and environmental safety. Nowadays, there is a growing interest to develop novel and effective botanical pesticides with reduced ecological side effects as compared to synthetic pesticides. It has been well known for at least two millennia that botanical substances such as herbal extracts and essential oils (EOs) possess insecticidal, acaricidal, and antimicrobial properties. EOs—a mixture of several small-sized, volatile, and lipophilic active ingredients—are particularly effective in pest and vector control. Their poor physiochemical properties impede their large-scale widespread use. Nanotechnology is one of the most helpful and innovative means to address this problem. In particular, the encapsulation of biopesticide EOs inside nanoemulsions ensures the stability and protection of components, the controlled and sustained release of active ingredients, and an increase of biological activity. The major challenges for the development of EO nanoemulsion-based pesticides are discussed here. The combination of “green” pesticides and nanotechnology represents one of the most suitable tools to develop eco-friendly control routes in the field of integrated pest/vector management.