ADVANTAGES

1. Biopesticides are best alternatives to conventional pesticides and usually

inherently less toxic than conventional pesticides and therefore are less
harmful than conventional chemical pesticides.
2. Biopesticides do not leave harmful residues.
3. Research expenditure: Biopesticides are often cheaper than chemical
pesticides.
4. Selectivity:Biopesticides generally target one specific pest or a small
number of related pests. Thus, do not destroy non-target species.
5. Biopesticides are more effective in smaller quantities and decompose
quickly and thus do not cause the kind of environmental problems
associated with chemical pesticides.
6. When used in Integrated Pest Management programs, biopesticides can
greatly reduce the use of conventional pesticides, while the crop yield
remains high.

DISADVANTAGES

1. Reliability: Since there is no stability on the effect of biopesticides

farmers always look towards them with doubts. Because most the agents
of biopesticides are living; several factors like temperatures, moistures,
pH, ultraviolet spectrum and soil factors adversely affect the mode of
action and their effectively is affected.
2. Natural control of population: After the maxima have reached, then
autolysis starts and the effectivity is low. Biopesticides agents face stiff
competition with other microbes, which may start controlling the
biopesticides agents. Soil and their factors also control the population of
biopesticides agents through a process called as self control buffering
effect on population increase.
3. Specificity: Because of certain selectivity in their controlling effect
towards insect-pest and pathogens, the farmers do not give prominence to
biopesticides. Another pertinent point is that biopesticides are slow in
action as compared to synthetic pesticides.
4. Shelf life: Biopesticides have a very short shelf life as compared to
insecticides. The distribution of bio-pesticides in the market is also very
erratic