Biopesticides represent a significant shift in standard agriculture, moving from conventional chemical pesticides to more sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. Derived from natural sources like plants, animals, microbes, and certain minerals, biopesticides offer a targeted approach to pest management with a lower risk to human health, beneficial insects, and the broader ecosystem.
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Why is the Change from Chemicals to Biopesticides important?
Chemical pesticides are a well-known source of environmental pollution, contaminating soil and water supplies.1 They pose risks to non-target organisms, including beneficial insects like pollinators, and have been linked to human health issues such as neurological disorders and cancer, particularly for farm workers.
On the other hand, the overuse of chemical pesticides has led to the evolution of pesticide-resistant pests, ultimately forcing farmers to use stronger, more frequent applications or switch to different chemicals, increasing costs and further worsening environmental problems. This has created a scientific and ecological requirement to find safer alternatives. Biopesticides, with their diverse and specific modes of action, are far less likely to cause resistance, offering a more sustainable, long-term solution.
Market Growth
The global biopesticide market was valued at around USD 5 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach nearly USD 15 billion by 2029, reflecting sustained double-digit annual growth.9 This expansion is driven by the rising demand for organic food, tightening regulations on synthetic pesticides, and increased investment in sustainable crop protection. In Europe, for example, the proposed 50% reduction in chemical pesticide use by 2030 is expected to accelerate adoption further.2
Innovative Developments
The biopesticide industry is developing highly targeted and durable biopesticides. These new products are based on several significant innovative developments. For example, bioinformatics approaches allow the computational analysis of crop and microbial genomes to identify new genes that code for proteins with pesticidal properties.2 This info can be harnessed to develop new, potential biopesticides.
Nanotechnology is revolutionizing biopesticide development by creating "nanobiopesticides," formulations that use nano-encapsulation to protect the active ingredient from environmental degradation, like UV radiation and temperature fluctuations, and enable controlled, slow-release application.3 This enhances efficacy, extends shelf life, and reduces the required dosage, minimizing off-target effects and costs.
Genetic engineering is being used to introduce specific genes from distinct taxonomic groups into crop genomes, so that plants can produce their own defense proteins, creating an inherent resistance to pests. For instance, insecticidal proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) show promise as sustainable biopesticides for managing various insect pests in transgenic crops. However, Bt strategies may pose environmental risks, requiring biosafety evaluations before field tests and production.4 Furthermore, the CRISPR-Cas system and innovative variables of this gene editing tool are used in the laboratory to create gene drives that spread pest-sterilizing genes through wild populations, offering a potential long-term, self-sustaining pest control strategy.6 This experimental strategy holds immense potential, but its release requires careful consideration.
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are a revolutionary class of regulatory molecules being developed as highly specific biopesticides. Unlike traditional pesticides, they work by interfering with pests' fundamental biological processes without harming plants or other animals. These molecules are being formulated into sprays that can be applied directly to crops, offering a targeted and precise pest control method.5
Integrated Pest Management Strategies
Pests are highly adaptable, and repeated exposure to any single control method creates an intense selective pressure for resistance to evolve. For example, some insects can increase the production of enzymes that break down the active compounds of pesticides. Biopesticides can also offer advantages for developing integrative pest management strategies, promoting solutions that rely not on single pest removal but on a more diversified, integrated approach. The integrated pest control approaches combine multiple strategies to manage pest populations below economically damaging levels.7
Ecosystem Impacts
The widespread use of conventional chemical pesticides has had a profound and often devastating impact on ecosystems, harming non-target organisms and declining biodiversity.8 Biopesticides have the potential to mitigate these adverse effects and promote a healthier, more balanced agricultural environment.
Unlike chemicals that kill indiscriminately, biopesticides are designed to target only a narrow range of pests. This selectivity is crucial for maintaining ecological balance, as it preserves organisms that provide natural pest control. Furthermore, biopesticides like ncRNA sprays are biodegradable and have less environmental persistence than their chemical counterparts.5 This means they break down quickly in the environment, reducing the risk of chemical runoff into waterways and avoiding long-term soil and groundwater contamination.
Future Outlooks
The future of biopesticides is poised for rapid and transformative growth. Several key trends will fuel this expansion.
First, regulatory policies worldwide are increasingly favoring biopesticides, with many governments implementing stricter controls on chemical pesticides and streamlining the approval for biological alternatives. Secondly, technological advancements will continue to improve biopesticide performance, with research into nanotechnology, genetic engineering, and ncRNA-based strategies leading to more effective, durable, and targeted products. Lastly, integrating biopesticides with digital agriculture and artificial intelligence (AI) is a significant trend.
AI and machine learning will enable precision pest management by analyzing real-time data to predict pest outbreaks and recommend the optimal biopesticide application, maximizing efficacy and minimizing waste. This shift will lead to biopesticides as an essential component of modern, sustainable agriculture, addressing food security and environmental health in the coming decades.
References
- Zhou, W., Li, M., & Achal, V. (2024). A comprehensive review on environmental and human health impacts of chemical pesticide usage. Emerging Contaminants. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100410.
- Melo, T., & Andrade, B. (2024). Advancing rational pesticide development against Drosophila suzukii: bioinformatics tools and applications-a systematic review.. Journal of molecular modeling, 30 9, 319 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s00894-024-06113-w.
- Nuruzzaman, M., Rahman, M., Liu, Y., & Naidu, R. (2016). Nanoencapsulation, Nano-guard for Pesticides: A New Window for Safe Application. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 64 7, 1447-83. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5b05214.
- Li, Y., Wang, C., Ge, L., Hu, C., Wu, G., Sun, Y., Song, L., Wu, X., Pan, A., Xu, Q., Shi, J., Liang, J., & Li, P. (2022). Environmental Behaviors of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Insecticidal Proteins and Their Effects on Microbial Ecology. Plants, 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11091212.
- Vaschetto, L., & Beccacece, H. (2019). The emerging importance of noncoding RNAs in the insecticide tolerance, with special emphasis on Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: RNA, 10. https://doi.org/10.1002/wrna.1539.
- Asad, M., Liu, D., Li, J., Chen, J., & Yang, G. (2022). Development of CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene-Drive Construct Targeting the Phenotypic Gene in Plutella xylostella. Frontiers in Physiology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.938621.
- Zhou, W., Arcot, Y., Medina, R. F., Bernal, J., Cisneros-Zevallos, L., & Akbulut, M. E. (2024). Integrated pest management: an update on the sustainability approach to crop protection. ACS omega, 9(40), 41130-41147.
- Wan, N., Fu, L., Dainese, M., Kiær, L., Hu, Y., Xin, F., Goulson, D., Woodcock, B., Vanbergen, A., Spurgeon, D., Shen, S., & Scherber, C. (2025). Pesticides have negative effects on non-target organisms. Nature Communications, 16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56732-x.
- Marrone, P.G. (2024), Status of the biopesticide market and prospects for new bioherbicides. Pest Manag Sci, 80: 81-86. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.7403