Hydrogel for Pest Control
Presently, arthropod resistance to germicides is becoming a serious problem worldwide. In the field of pest control, most ways have a bounded space of application. However, resistance to traditional active constituents may allow the development of molecular methods and formulations to control pests, including various forms of nano-formulations and polymers and the use of hydrogels.
Introduction to Pest Control
Overusing synthetic pesticides in agriculture is a major source of environmental impurities affecting water, air, and soil. It has led to increased production costs, loss of productive regions, and threats to human and animal health. Consequently, it is increasingly necessary to search for alternatives that have lower impacts on the environment and can contribute to sustainable agriculture development.
Fig. 1 Graphical illustration of usage of gels-including hydrogels. (Singh, N., et al., 2021)
Utilization of Hydrogel in Pest Control
As the population of the world grows, so does the requirement for crop yields. Although pesticides can decrease pests and increase crop yield, it is bound to beget environmental pollution. The current resolvent is to control the release of pesticides through some new ways like microcapsules, hydrogels, etc.
- Hydrogels Against Spray Drift of Pesticides in Agro-environment
To reduce insecticide spray drift, hydrogels were designed as the formulation of pesticide application. The primary method by which the hydrogel reduced drift was by increasing droplet size, which was caused by the three-dimensional network of the internal structure of the gel.
Fig. 2 Cryo-SEM observation of the microstructure of the hydrogel. (Song, Y., et al., 2021)
- Hydrogels Used as Carriers for Natural Repellents
The effects of natural repellent have been reported a long time ago, but their states are unformulated, so the usage of them may not always be fit. The incorporation of essential oils into hydrogels constitutes an important strategy that can provide protection for the active agents and enable the development of novel systems for their application. The approach of using hydrogels as carriers for natural repellents opens perspectives for developing safer and more effective pest control systems that can contribute to the development of sustainable agriculture.
Fig. 3 Hydrogels containing botanical repellents for crop protection. (De Oliveira, J.L., et al., 2019)
- Sustainable Pest Control
The fact that only 0.1% of pesticides reach the target pests, necessitates their repetitive application eventually leading to several environmental hazards. Effective pesticide formulations having prolonged activity with minimal environmental risks are imperative for sustainable agriculture. Control release formulation (CRF) is a prudent approach toward efficient pesticide utilization with reduced environmental implications. Hydrogels were suggested not only for pesticide efficacy enhancement and prolonged degradation time of pesticide residues after their application in field conditions but also for mitigation of pesticide negative effects associated with plant protection.
Fig. 4 pH-responsive eco-friendly hydrogel as a carrier for controlled release towards sustainable pest control. (Amrita, S., et al., 2022)
The Hydrogel Development Services We Provide
Having accumulated a wealth of experience in hydrogel development and hydrogel analysis for years, Matexcel is proud to provide hydrogel related services for pest control. Please contact us for more information, if you are interested or have any questions.
References
- Shah, J.A.; et al. Gel Carriers for Plant Extracts and Synthetic Pesticides in Rodent and Arthropod Pest Control: An Overview. Gels 2022, 8, 522.
- Song, Y.; et al. Reducing pesticide spraying drift by folate/Zn2+ supramolecular hydrogels. Pest Manag Sci 2021, 77: 5278-5285.
- De Oliveira, J.L.; et al. Hydrogels containing botanical repellents encapsulated in zein nanoparticles for crop protection. ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2019, 3, 207–217.
- Amrita, S.; et al. (2022). pH-responsive eco-friendly chitosan modified cenosphere/alginate composite hydrogel beads as carrier for controlled release of Imidacloprid towards sustainable pest control. Chem. Eng. J, DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2021.131215.