Microencapsulation in the formulation of agricultural inputs for sustainable agriculture

Abstract

Pest management in agriculture is badly needed becauseapproximately one third of the world´s potential food supplies are lost topests and diseases, and these losses would rise if crop protection were notimplemented. In the last 40 years, the massive increase in the use of synthetic pesticides made it possible to increase food production. However, its excessive use is currently causing negative effects on health and the environment, as well as a rapid emergence of resistance in the pests. Growing social awareness about the impact of agricultural practices has also contributed to promoting the development of safer formulations for the advancement of sustainable agriculture. In recent years, there has been a greater interest in the use of alternative control strategies for themanagement of pests in crops, including the use of natural substances ofplant origin such as essential oils, with the intention of introducing inputs eco-friendly farming. However, its application in agriculture usually faces some limitations. Essential oils present as limitations in their field application the stability and persistence of their effects over time. This chapter presents an overview of the use of essential oils to control phytopathogens and weeds in agricultural systems and different microencapsulation strategies that scientists implemented in order to avoid the disadvantages of applying pure oils. Therefore, the purpose of thisreview is to compile updated information on the innovative methods usedfor the development of formulations of the bio-pesticide based on essentialoils reported in the scientific literature. The use of the formulations against phytopathogenic fungi, bacteria, insects, phytoparasitic nematodes and weeds are being investigated as alternatives to synthetic pesticides for the development of a more sustainable agriculture. Research trends are moving towards the development of greener agricultural formulations. The formulation of control agents using microencapsulation techniques improves their stability and biological activity, and therefore would allow their application on a larger scale, thus representing an innovative method for these products to be positioned on the market.