Pyrethroids in Sustainable Environment: A Natural Product for Crop Protection

ABSTRACT

Plant pests result severe economic losses, food insecurity and decreases the quality of agricultural products. Predominantly, usage of chemical pesticides is still being a widely adopted approach and measures among all the management approaches. The widely used synthetic chemical pesticides viz., organophosphate, organochlorine and carbamate compounds have varying degrees of mammalian toxicity. Alternatively, pyrethroids are synthetic analogues of the natural bioactive compounds pyrethrins, which are phyto‐secondary metabolites extracted from the dried flowers of Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium and Chrysanthemum coccineum . These compounds are widely used as domestic and commercial insecticides and account for approximately 17% of the global agrochemical market. Depending on the structure and functional properties, pyrethroid compounds are categorized under two types: type I and II. In respect to mammalian toxicity, type I pyrethroids are less toxic than type II. Recently, United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered 18 different pyrethroid pesticides for use on human consumable domestic crops. These compounds are non‐persistent sodium channel modulators and are not as much of toxic as carbamates and organophosphates. Pyrethroids contributed a major role in the increment of the 20 ^th century's agricultural crop productivity. This review vividly explains the development and biological intervention of pyrethroid compounds having insecticidal activity in plant protection. The chronological progress of research and evolution of new pyrethroid derivatives and their pros and cons are also summarized. Although synthetic pyrethroids (SPs) represent a promising and comparatively safer alternative in modern crop protection, comprehensive research on their resistance mechanisms, target specificity, and microbial biodegradation is essential to ensure their sustainable and environmentally responsible use. In future, added focus and endeavor are still required to obtain some more potential and safe natural insecticides to mitigate the demand for safe agricultural production and organic cultivation.