What are the Pros and Cons of Bio Pesticide Usage in Agriculture

Pros and Cons of Bio Pesticide: Often people say Biological pesticides have a number of advantages. But in reality what are the advantages of Biopesticide Usage? Do they really have benefits for farmers after their application? Is Biopesticide usage the next big thing in agriculture? These questions or more to say the doubts have to be clarified. Here in this piece of information, we are trying to answer the above questions. We will let you know all the advantages and disadvantages that you are going to get with the help of Biopesticide Usage. Hence we request you to read this entire article to have a better understanding of the same.

Pros and Cons of Bio Pesticide
Pros and Cons of Bio Pesticide Usage

Advantages of Biopesticide Usage in Farming:

Now we shall see the positive side of biopesticide usage in commercial agriculture. We have listed a number of advantages over conventional pesticides that you are going to enjoy. Have a look

  1. Biopesticides act only on target pests and diseases.
  2. They not only control pests and diseases but also produce a negligible amount of toxic residue.
  3. Almost all the biopesticides have a zero re-entry.
  4. You will never face the problem of pesticide resistance which is quite common with conventional agro chemicals.
  5. They also have a good compatible relationship with beneficial pests and insects. They seldom harm them which is a good thing for farming.
  6. This suits best as a part of the IPM or Integrated Pest Management program.
  7. You can use biopesticide as the second line of defense.
  8. Also, they cause no pollution as they are naturally occurring in nature.
  9. The cost of biopesticides is very less when you compare that to conventional pesticides.
  10. They are safe to use while application which is not in the case of conventional pesticides.

Downsides or Disadvantages of Biopesticide in Farming:

  1. Not Host Specific: They are not very target specific. Though bio pesticides do not harm beneficial insects, they are also not target specific. This causes problems on a broader level.
  2. Slow Action: Unlike their counterparts, biopesticides are generally slow in nature. They take a lot of time to act on the pests and diseases. At times, this might cause damage to the crop because of the additional life that the pest and diesease gets.
  3. Availability: They are not available at all the times, at any place. This causes some hindrance in its use as you might have to wait for it for a longer period than usual.
  4. Recommended Dose: The recommended dose for the biopesticides is high. This is not in the case of conventional pesticides. When you lower the dose, the target pest might not die.
  5. Low Shelf Life: Conventional pesticides have atleast 2 years of shelf life. This is not the same for the bio pesticides.
  6. Should have Greater Knowledge: You should have greater knowledge to use them effectively in your fields.

These are some of the positives and negatives of using bio pesticide in your agricultural fields. We hope that you have got the information that you are looking for Biopesticides in Agriculture.