APPLICATION OF BIOPESTICIDES IN DURIAN

As far as Malaysia is concerned, smart phones and internet coverage have been widely established, allowing farmers to broadly acquire a variety of agriculture knowledge and data, such as organic and biopesticides that have been accepted and used by cultivators. Within the durian sector, biopesticides has been rendered common. Today, let us have a discussion about biopesticide technicality, functions, methods, effectiveness and safety in Malaysia and other nations.

The agents used as biopesticides are usually categorized into;

(i) microorganisms (bacteria, fungi etc.);

(ii) biochemicals (which include plant products such as essential oils, and various compounds synthesized by other organisms such as chitin and chitosan); and

(iii) semiochemicals (most of which are insect pheromones).

Food is one of the essentials for the survival of human beings. Hence, agri-food safety and quality have gained global attention. Efforts have been put to ensure that the safety and quality of food are safeguarded not only starting from the downstream of the food supply chain but it begins from its upstream including aspects of land preparation, method of crop cultivation, pest management, harvest and post-harvest. This is especially important when it comes to organic farming worldwide.

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT

Insect pests have always been a bane of agriculture. For centuries farmers have tried to control pests