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Nanoparticles for pest control: current status and future perspectives

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Abstract

In the current paper, we reviewed the use of nanoparticles (NPs) in crop protection, emphasizing the control of pests in the agricultural and urban environment. At the same time, we provide the framework on which the technology of NPs is based and the various categories of NPs that are currently used for pest control. Apart from the use of NPs as carriers of a broad category of active ingredients, including insecticides and pheromones, some NPs can be used successfully as insecticides alone. Moreover, several types of NPs are produced by natural resource-based substances, which make them promising “green” alternatives to the use of traditional pest control agents. Finally, the potentials in the use of NPs are briefly illustrated and discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank James Throne (USDA-ARS) for his constructive comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. DL acknowledges support from Grain Research Development Corporation (Grants UA 000131 and UA 000151). GB is supported by PROAPI (PRAF 2015) and University of Pisa, Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Grant ID: COFIN2015_22). URP expresses here acknowledgments to Jyothsna Yasur for her support while preparing the manuscript and also to the Ministry of Earth Sciences, New Delhi for the research grant related with NPs. CGA would like to thank the General Secretariat for Research and Technology for the Grants GSRT11-ROM-30-2-ET29 and 1422-BET-2013 and the Research Committee of the University of Thessaly for the Grants ELKE-UTH-4198 and 4975. Funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the University of Thessaly, Agricultural University of Athens, University of Pisa, University of Adelaide, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology and French National Institute for Agricultural Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Phytokou Str., 38446, N. Ionia, Magnesia, Greece

    C. G. Athanassiou

  2. Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Str., 11855, Athens, Attica, Greece

    N. G. Kavallieratos

  3. Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124, Pisa, Italy

    G. Benelli

  4. School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    D. Losic

  5. Biology and Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, 500007, India

    P. Usha Rani

  6. INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research), Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06903, Sophia Antipolis, France

    N. Desneux

  7. The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025, Pontedera, Pisa, Italy

    G. Benelli

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  1. C. G. Athanassiou
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  2. N. G. Kavallieratos
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  3. G. Benelli
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  4. D. Losic
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  5. P. Usha Rani
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Correspondence to C. G. Athanassiou.

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Athanassiou, C.G., Kavallieratos, N.G., Benelli, G. et al. Nanoparticles for pest control: current status and future perspectives. J Pest Sci 91, 1–15 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-017-0898-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-017-0898-0

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