Modern pesticides: issues and diversification

After WWII, the discoveries of chemical families of active products against insects and unwanted plants significantly increased. Most of these molecules are still in usage at this time. Some of them are the object of an analytical monitoring exercise due to their residues which have become the subject of concern. After having reviewed the main families of pesticides, this article presents their agronomic and pest control efficiency. Nowadays, in order to be of interest in an increasingly saturated market, a product must bring something new to crop protection in comparison to the substances in use. The new modes of action of the commercialized products are then listed.