Pesticides
- Pesticides are chemical substances that are meant to kill pests. In general, a pesticide is a chemical or a biological agent such as a virus, bacterium, antimicrobial, or disinfectant that deters, incapacitates, kills, pests.
Types of Pesticides
- These are grouped according to the types of pests which they kill:
- Grouped by Types of Pests They Kill
- Insecticides – insects
- Herbicides – plants
- Rodenticides – rodents (rats & mice)
- Bactericides – bacteria
- Fungicides – fungi
- Larvicides – larvae
Benefits of Pesticides
- The major advantage of pesticides is that they can save farmers. By protecting crops from insects and other pests. However, below are some other primary benefits of it.
- Controlling pests and plant disease vectors.
- Controlling human/livestock disease vectors and nuisance organisms.
- Controlling organisms that harm other human activities and structures.
Effects of Pesticides
- The toxic chemicals enter the air, water, sediments, and even end up in our food.
- Pesticides have been linked with human health hazards, from short-term impacts such as headaches and nausea to chronic impacts like cancer, reproductive harm.
- The use of these also decreases the general biodiversity in the soil.
- If there are no chemicals in the soil there is higher soil quality, and this allows for higher water retention, which is necessary for plants to grow.