Plant Extracts and Agricultural pest control

For global food security, the agricultural sector of the world economy must achieve a production level that ensures adequate food supply to feed the increasing population as well as provides raw materials for the industries. This is particularly so as the energy sector is vigorously pursuing research into the use of grains and root crops as sources of starch for conversion into bio-fuels. Coincidentally, these crops (maize, rice, millet, sorgum, soybeans, cowpeas, sugarcane, groundnuts, and e.t.c.) are the stable foods in most parts of the developing countries of the world such as Africa, South America and Asia. In addition to the above new development in the industrial utilization of these crops, they are frequently and vigorously attacked by herbivorous insects and other pests such as phytopathogens and mollusks. In fact the loss due to pests and diseases is about 35% on the field and 14% in storage, giving a total loss of about 50% of agricultural crops annually. Thus the world food production is adversely affected by insects and pests during crop growth, harvest and storage.