Abstract

Botanical pesticides are regarded as alternatives to replace synthetic chemical insecticides in the field of pest management in recent times, but their use has not been properly adopted by farmers due to improper dissemination of information to them on their positive impacts as a better grain protectants compared to chemicals that have hazardous effect on the consumers . On the other hand, a major constraint to farmers in agricultural practices is post-harvest losses, despite various food storage mechanisms designed for farmers to preserve their agricultural produce. Most food crops meant for long-term storage requires a preservative to ensure their safety, maintenance of their natural taste, including the quality (nutritional composition), and quantity. Researchers have discovered that farmers prefer the use of synthetic chemicals to botanical pesticides due to rapid active time which can be highly poisonous than the use of botanical pesticides which can be safe and healthy for consumers when used as a food preservative. This paper covers several works that have been carried out on the use of non-toxic natural food preservatives; their biological origins, biodegradability, mechanism of action; mode of application and target pests etc. has been reviewed. Keywords: Botanical pesticides, Natural, Pests management, Post-harvest