Tobacco-Derived, Nicotine-Free Green Pesticides

Agriculture’s heavy dependence on pesticides across large parts of the world, is placing an ever-rising burden on human health, biodiversity, and even the agro-food sector itself. The direct link between the use of synthetic pesticides and the decrease in biodiversity has prompted an effort to develop green alternatives to lessen the environmental impact.
 
One of the major obstacles in the way of increasing the adoption of green pesticides is finding the balance between the geography-dependent needs, the possibilities to locally manufacture or easily import green pesticides, and the socio-economic stimulants to increase their acceptance and use.

We are developing a tobacco-derived, nicotine-free, bio-oil, i.e., a green-pesticide, that may successfully replace one or more chemically synthesised pesticides. Solvent-free and biodegradable, our bio-oil can be sustainably manufactured. The solution is scalable and may become cost-effective. 

Because of its multi-mechanistic and -component action, there is no quick development of resistance. Potential targets for similar bio-oils can be, for example: Moths, Beetles, Thrips, Aphids, or White flies. For more on this, see the attached media.