Impact of New Chemistry on Biocontrol Agents of Major Crop Pests

In agro-ecosystems, biocontrol agents (BCA's) viz., parasitoids and predators, are the best alternatives to the broad-spectrum pesticides, several of which have been replaced by new chemistry. The new chemistry is eco-friendly, economical, more selective, highly safe and compatible with several BCA's. In newer insecticides, among various insecticidal classes viz., diamides (flubendiamide/chlorantraniliprole/cyazypyr), bacterial products (emamectin benzoate/avermectins/milbemectin except, spinosad which is toxic), IGR's (buprofezin/ novaluron/lufenuron/pyriproxyfen/other IGRs), dichloropropenyl (pyridalyl), pyridine azomethines (pymetrozine) and phenyl pyrazole (fipronil) have shown directly or indirectly their safe impact either to the insect predators and or parasitoids. Similarly, insecticide classes viz., neonicotenoids (imidacloprid/thiamethoxam/acetamiprid except thiacloprid, which is toxic) and oxadiazines (indoxacarb) were slightly toxic; pyridine carboxamid (flonicamid) as moderately toxic whereas, in classes-pyrrole and triazapentadiene, chlorfenapyr and amitraz, respectively were toxic. However, there is still a great need to shift laboratory evaluation of newer insecticides to the real world of field.