Module 3: Insecticide Research and Development

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the history of pesticide discovery, classification, formulation technology, controlled-release mechanisms, safety documentation, and regulatory frameworks from Module 3.

Pesticide

Any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest (insects, rodents, nematodes, fungi, weeds, or microorganisms, excluding those on living humans or animals), or intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant.

Plant Protection Products (PPP)

Pesticides used to protect plants and crops in agriculture, forestry, horticulture, amenity areas, and home gardens; they contain at least one active substance and may include safeners and synergists to preserve plant products, prevent disease, or influence life processes.

Bordeaux Mixture

An inorganic fungicide composed of hydrated lime and copper sulfate ($[Ca(OH)_2] \times CuSO_4$), discovered in 1882 and introduced in 1885 by botany professor Pierre-Marie-Alexis Millardet to control grapevine downy mildew and potato blight.

Nicotine

A botanical alkaloid insecticide first used in 1763, naturally present in tobacco plants such as Nicotiana tabacum ($2\text{--}5\%$) and Nicotiana rustica ($5\text{--}15\%$), which exhibits high mammalian toxicity.

Rotenone

The first rotenoid botanical insecticide used before synthetic organics; isolated by Emmanuel Geoffroy in 1892 (originally named nicouline) from the roots of Derris spp. and Tephrosia spp., and from the seeds of yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus).

Natural Pyrethroids

Botanical insecticides derived from the flowers of Chrysanthemum species (primarily C. cinerafolium and C. coccineum, family Asteraceae), whose insecticidal properties are driven by active esters known as pyrethrins.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

A biological insecticide produced through industrial microbiology techniques aimed at creating a spore-crystal complex that acts as the active ingredient against insect pests such as Lepidopterans.

Active Ingredient (a.i.)

The pure technical material or biologically active chemical compound in a pesticide formulation that directly produces the toxic or insecticidal effect.

Surfactant

A surface-active agent that facilitates and accentuates the emulsifying, dispersing, wetting, and spreading properties of pesticide formulations.

Synergist

A chemical substance possessing little or no intrinsic pesticidal activity that, when combined with an active ingredient, significantly improves its potency or biological efficacy.

Adjuvant

A non-toxic substance added either to a manufactured formulation or to the spray tank mixture by the user to improve the toxicity, handling, or physical effectiveness of a pesticide.

Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC)

A liquid pesticide formulation in which a lipophilic active ingredient is dissolved in a non-water-miscible organic solvent along with an emulsifier, forming a milky emulsion when mixed with water.

Suspension Concentrate (SC)

A stable liquid formulation composed of finely ground, insoluble solid active ingredient suspended with inert carriers, wetting agents, and small amounts of water into a pudding-like concentrate designed to be diluted in water prior to spraying.

Water-Dispersible Granules (WG)

Also called dry flowables, these are free-flowing small granules with high active ingredient content (up to $90\%$) that break down into fine particles when agitated in water, requiring constant agitation during application.

Suspoemulsion (SE)

A multi-phase formulation containing both insoluble solid active ingredients (or encapsulated particles) and an emulsified liquid/oil active ingredient suspended together within a continuous aqueous phase.

Controlled Release Systems (CRSs)

Formulation designs, such as encapsulated granules, that regulate the discharge of active ingredients over time via mechanisms including diffusion through water-filled pores, diffusion through polymers, matrix erosion, or osmotic cracking.

Ultra-Low-Volume (ULV) Liquid

A concentrated solution containing active ingredients in a specialized solvent system designed to be sprayed undiluted using specialized equipment, minimizing material-handling needs and optimizing canopy penetration.

Attract-and-Kill Strategy

A targeted pest management tactic combining an attractant (such as semiochemicals, feeding cues, or $CO_2$) with a biological or chemical killing agent (such as Metarhizium brunneum or insecticides) to lower pest populations below economic injury thresholds.

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

United States legislation enacted in 1947 that grants the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory authority over the distribution, sale, and use of all pesticides to safeguard human health and the environment.

Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA)

The Philippine regulatory agency mandated to regulate and ensure safety in the manufacture, formulation, importation, distribution, storage, sale, and use of fertilizers, pesticides, and other agricultural chemicals.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

A formal document mandated by OSHA under Standard 29 CFR 1910.1200 consisting of 16 standardized sections detailing the physical, chemical, health hazard, exposure limit, handling, and first-aid properties of a chemical product.

Maximum Residue Level (MRL)

The highest concentration of a pesticide residue legally tolerated in or on food commodities or animal feed when applied in accordance with Good Agricultural Practice (GAP).

Codex Alimentarius Commission

A joint commission under the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations that sets harmonized international food safety standards, including maximum pesticide residue limits.