As the environmental concerns continue to mount surrounding traditional agricultural chemicals and pesticides the role of more natural and organic approaches continues to expand. Botanical plant extracts in particular have shown the ability to play a significant role in the development of environmentally friendly AGRO chemicals. This is particularly true for the management of pests and diseases. To understand the growing role of botanical plant extracts there are several factors to consider.
The first factor to consider is the increase in regulations on traditional AGRO chemical usage. The environmental risks of synthetic chemicals in agriculture have been well documented over the last 20 years. This has led to a significant increase in government regulations on their use both nationally and internationally. This has significantly increased the demand for biological plant protection agents, including the use of botanical plant extracts.
Based upon current research, botanical plant extracts are considered to be highly biodegradable. As a result, they will not cause the similar damaging environmental effects or pose the same environmental risks as widely used synthetic chemicals. Another area of emphasis leading to an expanded role of botanical plant extracts in AGRO chemicals is sustainability. For sustainable food security, the reliance on fossil oil must be decreased.
A number of new techniques and technologies have been developed over the past decade to increase the cost-effectiveness of plant-based liquids by reducing extraction costs. The use of techniques such as slow pyrolysis is popular because the same technique can be used to extract a variety of different types of materials. Additionally, the price of by products is reasonably low.
The final factor to consider when explaining the growing role of botanical plant extracts in environmentally friendly AGRO chemicals is biodegradability. The rapid biodegradability has played an important role in the increase in demand for plant-based products. All measurable components can break down in the soil within a matter of days. Not only is this safer for the environment, but many plant-based extracts and agricultural chemicals have long been used to promote positive health in humans. As a result, there is a significant amount of anecdotal evidence that botanical plant extracts pose no risk to the general public unlike traditional synthetic chemicals.
There is no doubt the role of environmentally friendly approaches to agriculture will continue to grow. The demand for a more environmentally friendly process is evident in government policy and consumer shopping habits. Botanical plant extracts are currently at the forefront of developing and manufacturing effective AGRO chemical solutions on a commercial scale.