ABSTRACT
Essential oil compounds are defined as any volatile oil compounds that have strong aromatic components and that give a distinctive odor, flavor, or scent to a plant. This chapter provides information on some developments where essential oils have been projected as pesticides in some recent research publications, along with their potential and constraints. In addition to Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Cupressaceae, Lamiaceae, Myrtaceae, and Rutaceae, various families looking at the most common substances contained in essential oil compounds of plants and their efficacy as pesticides are reviewed. Oil-in-water microemulsions are being developed as a nanopesticide delivery system to replace the traditional emulsifiable concentrates (oils), to reduce the use of organic solvent, and to increase the disparity and penetration properties of the droplets. Essential oil compounds generally act more slowly than synthetic pesticides, killing arthropod pests over a longer time, rather than having an immediately apparent knockdown effect, so the pests can still damage the crops after application.
