The green revolution has not passed the agriculture industry by. Farmers are increasingly turning to eco-friendly pesticides to tend their crops – pesticides which have low toxicity and high efficacy. Termed bio-pesticides, they are a recent development in the fields of biotechnology and molecular biology.

Bio-chemicals and microbials are two types of bio-pesticides. Bio-chemicals are non-toxic and are similar to naturally occurring substances in their structure and functionality. Biochemical pesticides control pests without toxins, unlike most traditional pesticides that kill the pests. Microbial pesticides are genetically modified organisms such as bacteria, fungi, protozoans or viruses. Microbial pesticides stop pest by causing a disease to the pest, or by producing a toxin specific to the pest.

According to recent estimates, the bio-pesticides market is looking likely to be worth $1 billion by 2010. The US is currently the largest market for bio-pesticides, representing a market share of around 50%, with Europe being the fastest growing market. Bio-pesticides are a growing option because they are supposedly less toxic than standard pesticides and are therefore less polluting and damaging to the environment.

Genetically engineered plants look set to key to the future of bio-pesticides as genetically engineered plants can help to control pests. However, public opinion is split on the issue of genetically engineered plants and without public acceptance, technological developments in this area may stall.

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