Saponins and Their Effects on Agricultural Pests

Pests pose a significant threat to agricultural productivity, causing substantial crop losses and jeopardizing global food security. With the increasing demand for environmentally sustainable pest control methods, researchers have focused their attention on natural substances such as saponins, which are plant-derived glycosides with diverse biological functions. This study investigates the efficacy of saponins in managing agricultural pests, emphasizing their capacity to deter, intoxicate, and disrupt pest reproduction. Saponins demonstrate the ability to repel insects, interfere with digestive enzymes, and impede pest development, rendering them valuable components in integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. Notably, saponins extracted from plants such as Quillaja saponaria, Chenopodium quinoa, and Solanum spp. species have exhibited promise in combating various pests, including aphids, armyworms, nematodes, and mollusks. These findings suggest that saponins could play a crucial role in developing sustainable pest control approaches, offering an environmentally benign alternative to synthetic pesticides.

کلیدواژه ها:

Saponin ، Integrated pest management ، Food security ، Food web