Advantages of Neonicotinoids Over Other Classes of Pesticides

The Third Agricultural Revolution, i.e. the Green Revolution led to food security, a drop in food prices and also overcome poverty. Conventional pesticides like organophosphates, pyrethroids, carbamates, etc. although used to get rid of crop pests but are not recommended. This is because they are highly persistent and have a tendency to bioaccumulate in the environmental compartments which ultimately poses harmful impacts on human well-being, land and aquatic ecosystems. On the other hand, the finding of neonicotinoid insecticides is a breakthrough in the pesticide industry. On a worldwide scale, they are the most commonly preferred agrochemicals. Neonicotinoids have attracted interest and investments from stakeholders since their introduction in the global market. The versatility of its application procedures and high specificity towards target species make it more popular among farmers. Their peculiar mechanism of action in binding more specifically to the insect’s acetylcholine neurotransmitter receptors is the urge behind their success compared to the other classes of insecticides in the agricultural fields. However, the neonicotinoids have to some extent affected the survivability of certain non-target organisms like bees, bumblebees, rainbow trouts, etc. The chapter explicates a detailed account of the milestones in the discovery of neonicotinoids and the mechanism by which they confer protection from pests to crop plants. The critical discussion on the neonicotinoids’ applications in the area of pest control and its use in veterinary for fleas, flies and other insect control is also covered in this chapter. Last of all, the discussion in perspective of its impact on human health and non-target species is focused as well.