Enhancing Sustainability in Agriculture: Natural Polymer-Based Controlled Release Systems for Effective Pest Management and Environmental Protection
Abstract
The complex and crucial role of pesticides in global agriculture involves ensuring food security while also addressing significant environmental and health concerns. Conventional pesticide application methods, coupled with the usage of non-biodegradable polymers in pesticide delivery systems, often face problems such as environmental contamination, pest resistance development, and off-target impacts. It advocates for Controlled Release Systems (CRS) as a promising solution to reduce these challenges. Biopolymers like cyclodextrins, chitosan, alginate, hyaluronic acid, cellulose, gelatin, carrageenan, and pectin are known for their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and effectiveness in developing CRS that facilitate sustained pesticide release. These biopolymers-based pesticide delivery aims to reduce soil degradation, water contamination, and biodiversity loss linked with conventional pesticide practices. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is globally promoted by entities such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, Environmental Protection Agency, etc. IPM integrates biological controls with advanced CRS, offering a sustainable strategy to boost pesticide effectiveness while reducing environmental impact. This article discusses the scientific literature on various biopolymers available for the safer and controlled release of pesticides. The limitations and benefits of biopolymers have been discussed.