Biopesticides from essential oils : an alternative to protect crops

Biopesticides are living organisms or derived products from bioresources which could have the potential to reduce or suppress diseases and pest in crops or during storage. In Africa, biopesticides have been used for centuries by the farmers to manage plant diseases and pests. Biopesticides are classified into three groups belonging to their origin: microbial, animal, and plant. They can be used both in organic farming or in conventional agriculture. Some biopesticides derived from plants to withstand biotic stress are less toxic than chemical pesticides. Then, pesticidal plants are promising alternatives in Africa including Cameroon. In Cameroon, various species of pesticidal plants can be used as plant essential oil or in association with other crops in disease and pest management. The chemical composition, the target disease, and the mode of action of these plants’ essential oil will be explored in this work. In fact, exploring the biocidal potential of these interesting plants, belonging to many families such as the Zingiberacea, Rutaceae, Lamiaceae and Myrtacea, could be of interest to farmers. Therefore, the population needs to be made informed of the benefits of biopesticidal plant essential oil. In addition, the future development of biopesticides plants depends on many factors such as government policies in terms of research strategies and vulgarisation.