The increasing demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly pest control methods has led to growing interest in the development of new plant-based pesticides. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of oils from Allium sativum , Annona muricata , Azadirachta indica , and the isolated compound d-limonene, as well as their combinations, in managing Tetranychus urticae . Bioassays were conducted on adults and eggs using 2% dilutions of the oils and the isolated compound, and exposure was achieved by direct spray and residual. The results showed that all oils individually exhibited significant efficacy against T . urticae in both exposure routes. All oils affected egg viability, reducing larval hatching rates. The combinations of oils resulted in higher adult mortality rates by spray exposure. Egg viability was reduced by up to 100% in the treatment combining A . sativum , A . muricata , and A . indica . The vegetable oils studied, particularly when combined, contribute to the development of more effective and environmentally safe strategies for managing T . urticae .
It was inevitable that OPM would eventually be introduced into the United Kingdom on infested oak tree planting material and in retrospect equally inevitable that it would establish and spread as it subsequently has. At that time (2005/6) the UK was a member of the European Union and as such, bound by the doctrine of free trade in goods and services among member states: someone had apparently forgotten to mention that living plant material can carry pests and diseases. By 2010 oak processionary moth had a firm foothold in London, was spreading rapidly and clearly not to be shifted. Pesticide spraying had been ongoing for almost five years and having some impact, but not enough to significantly slow the spread of OPM, let alone rid the UK of this alien invasive insect pest.
This study evaluated the field efficacy of the commercial repellent tumerone against the red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus , using a trap‐shutdown approach. Descriptive and inferential analyses revealed clear differences among treatments in their ability to suppress adult RPW captures. The untreated control recorded the highest mean catch (5.00 ± 2.45 RPW trap −1 ), followed by the diesel treatment (3.00 ± 1.41 RPW trap −1 ), whereas the botanical repellent resulted in zero captures across all replicates. Relative to the control, diesel reduced trap catch by 40%, while the repellent achieved complete suppression (100%). Friedman’s two‐way analysis of variance confirmed a significant overall treatment effect (N = 4, x 2 = 8.000, df = 2, p = 0.018), with mean ranks indicating the strongest reduction under the repellent treatment. Post hoc comparisons showed that only the repellent differed significantly from the control (adjusted p = 0.014), while diesel did not differ significantly from either treatment. Overall, the botanical repellent exhibited the highest repellency and was the only treatment that significantly reduced RPW captures relative to untreated control, whereas diesel produced a non‐significant numerical reduction under field conditions. These findings highlight the potential of tumerone‐based repellents to contribute to a push–pull strategy for sustainable RPW management.
The global challenge of sustainable pest management continues to evolve at a rapid pace. The August 2025 issue of Outlooks on Pest Management brings together a diverse set of contributions that highlight the dynamic interplay between innovation, resistance management, and the growing adoption of biological solutions. Collectively, these articles underscore both the urgency and the opportunity facing researchers, policymakers, and practitioners as they work toward more resilient agricultural systems.
The extensive use of conventional pesticides raises environmental and health concerns. Considering these issues, biopesticides are emerging as a promising alternative for managing biotic stress in crops. This article examines trends in the use of phytosanitary products in Morocco, with a particular emphasis on the adoption of biopesticides. Biopesticides represent 6.7% of the approved phytosanitary products in Morocco, with 55% being microbial agents. The rest include botanical extracts (28%), semi-chemicals (9%), protein-based products (6%), and other natural agents (2%). Morocco is also increasingly relying on macro-organisms, such as insects and nematodes, for biological control, primarily on high-value crops like tomatoes, citrus fruits, and berries. This growing adoption addresses both local agricultural needs and the stringent requirements of export markets.
Sustainable pest management is essential to mitigate the environmental impacts of synthetic insecticide use, particularly in tomato crops, which suffer significant losses due to the small tomato borer, Neoleucinodes elegantalis. Despite the effectiveness of synthetic chemical insecticides, the emergence of resistant pest populations and adverse environmental effects limit their application. This study investigates the insecticidal efficacy of garlic, soursop, and neem vegetable oils, as well as the major compound D-limonene, individually and in combination, for the control of N. elegantalis. Bioassays were conducted with first-instar larvae and ovicidal tests using 2% dilutions of the oils and the major compound in a 0.05% Tween® 80 PS solution. The combination of vegetable oils and the major compound proved effective in causing mortality in N. elegantalis. First-instar larvae exhibited mortality rates above 50% in all treatments, while eggs treated with the combination of all oils showed embryo mortality rates exceeding 90%. The studied vegetable oils, particularly when combined, represent a promising approach for the integrated management of N. elegantalis, providing effective control while reducing the environmental risks associated with synthetic products.
Long-term work by Rothamsted Research has included peach-potato aphid (Myzus persicae) testing for neonicotinoid insecticide resistance. Until mid-2023, no evidence arose for the strong resistance ('Neonic', R81T target site-based mechanism) present in mainland Europe. However, in late-2023, the first UK record of Neonic resistance was discovered, initially in bioassays applying neonicotinoids to live aphid samples collected from oilseed rape in Suffolk. Follow-up molecular tests confirmed these aphids carried the R81T mutation. Further micro-satellite tests, performed at the James Hutton Institute, suggested a DNA genotype not recorded in the UK previously. It is therefore likely, given Suffolk-European proximity and mainland Europe R81T-resistant M. persicae prevalence, that this first report arose from an aphid population incursion. Co-evolution cannot be discounted, and more studies on a larger population are required to substantiate their origin. Subsequent 2024 testing of live M. persicae samples and preserved specimens collected from Rothamsted Insect Survey suction traps revealed more R81T-Neonic occurrences, indicating that these highly resistant forms have a UK foothold. Consequently, neonicotinoid sprays and seed treatments, where approved, may not prove effective. The significance of our findings is discussed in context of the future risk posed to crop protection and legislation banning UK neonicotinoid seed treatments. The wider distribution of R81T-resistant population(s) in the UK must be established, thus continued monitoring for these and other insecticide resistances remains essential if we are to gain an up-to-date picture of their presence, temporal and geographical spread, facilitating the development of effective integrated pest management solutions.
During the past several decades, an impasse has developed in the discovery and commercialization of synthetic herbicides with novel modes of action (MOA). Concomitantly, there has been little success with bioherbicides, both microbial and biologicals. In response to this substantial and growing opportunity, numerous startup companies have emerged to provide new tools for weed management using innovative and disruptive technologies. These diverse new tools encompassing: new approaches to discovery of natural product-based herbicides; advanced computational, bioinformatic, and imaging platforms; plant genome editing, protein-protein interaction, RNAi, and targeted protein degradation technologies; as well as machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)-based strategies broaden the scope of discovery. These new technologies are needed to fulfil the need for more environmentally and toxicologically safe herbicides and to combat fast-growing herbicide resistance.
Fumigation is an essential tool for the protection of commodities in transit and storage from the threat posed by domestic and invasive pests. Globalisation of the world economy, coupled with a warming climate, means this is an ever-increasing risk for global supply chains, and one that the phytosanitary industry must address dynamically. It is a risk which is especially acute for the timber and forestry sector, with products such as sawn timber acting as a major pathway for these pests which have potential to devastate local biodiversity.
Synthetic herbicides were first commercialized in the 1940’s and rapidly adopted in agriculture because of their high effectiveness. By 1988, the chemical weed control toolbox had expanded to over 30 sites of action (Heap 2025). The introduction of herbicide‐resistant agronomic crops in the late 1990s simplified weed control and increased reliance on a few broad‐spectrum herbicides across millions of hectares. Many growers still rely on transgenic crops as the foundation of their weed management programs with herbicide‐resistant crops grown on 167 million hectares worldwide in 2019.
This study investigates the impact of different irrigation methods on the infestation levels of the red palm weevil (RPW) in date palms. Results indicate that palms irrigated with bubbler systems experienced significantly higher infestation rates compared to those using surface drip and subsurface irrigation methods, with the latter showing no signs of infestation. Severe infestations in bubbler-irrigated palms necessitated the removal of three infested trees, while mildly infested palms under surface drip irrigation were successfully treated and fully recovered. The findings align with previous research, highlighting that flood irrigation leads to higher infestation rates, with 89% of infested palms in flood-irrigated areas compared to only 10% in drip-irrigated zones. The study emphasizes the importance of selecting appropriate irrigation techniques, such as surface drip and advanced subsurface systems utilizing ultra-low energy dripper technology, to enhance the health and productivity of date palm plantations while mitigating the risk of RPW infestation. Further empirical research is recommended to validate these findings.
The October 2025 issue of Outlooks on Pest Management highlights the evolving challenges facing modern agriculture and forestry ‐ from managing invasive pests in perennial crops to navigating pesticide residue regulations and developing high-tech solutions for sustainable weed control. Collectively, the four featured articles underscore a central truth: the future of pest management lies at the intersection of scientific innovation, environmental responsibility, and sound regulatory frameworks.
The 56th session of the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Pesticides and Pesticide Residues in and on Foods (CCPR56) addressed all topics on its agenda. CCPR56 approved about two hundred new maximum residue limits for various pesticides for final adoption by the next CAC meeting (End November 2025, CAC48). CCPR56 finalized new guidelines for countries and operators to monitor the purity and stability of reference materials and related stock solutions of pesticides during prolonged storage. CCPR56 discussed short-term approaches to enhance the capacity and operational procedures of the JMPR advising CCPR on risk assessments. CCPR56 reviewed how best managing unsupported compounds without public health concern scheduled for a periodic review. CCPR56 agreed to forward editorial amendments made to the latest version of Section 4.8 of the Codex Alimentarius Commission???s Procedural Manual, on the Risk analysis principles applied by the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues for final adoption to CAC48. CCPR56 agreed to suspend working on a national registration database due to slow progress and lack of sufficient contributions.
The Red Palm Weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) is global invasive insect pest of many species of palms including date palm, coconut palm, oil palm and ornamental Palms. The cryptic behaviour of hiding and feeding inside the palm trunk makes the visual detection of infestation at an early stage extremely difficult. Portable acoustic sensors like Palmear and PalmProtect show promise for RPW detection by enabling real-time detection with reasonable accuracy and minimal labour. Although the precision of these portable acoustic devices remains modest, they are affordable and accessible tools that can assist gardeners in detecting infestations and supporting manual visual inspections and making decisions. Moreover, these portable detectors can be used by researchers to evaluate field experiments to test and validate efficacy of control treatments with minimal need for tree dissection, thereby reducing damage to the trees and saving cost.
The book Insect and Climate interactions was written by S.K. Shrivastava, Ravindra C Joshi, Anand Prakash and Jagadiswari Rao. All of whom are Members of the Applied Zoologists Research Association in India, which published the book. This book, published in India in 2024 is of interest as Climate Change can affect the life of insects as well as plants. The book is arranged inn 4 sections.
Outlooks on Pest Management is widely known as a primary source of reliable and up to the minute information on a broad range of topics that are of interest and importance to pest management practitioners, industry and researchers around the world. This continues to be reflected in this issue with articles and news that convey the international perspective that is essential in a globalised industry. However, to remain relevant we must listen and respond to opinions and advice of our readers. Feedback indicates that many appreciate the balance struck between encouraging and worrying news, with a recent comment suggesting that "...in current challenging times it helps to avoid it all being doom and gloom, while still raising the difficult issues we need to confront". Such comments are very helpful when setting the tone of the publication so please keep them coming.
