Israeli Researchers Develop Vegetable Oil-Based Pesticide

Posted by |4 January 2012

According to an article on Israel-based website Ynetnews.com, scientists at the country’s Volcani Institute have created a new pesticide from an unexpected source: garden-variety vegetable oil.

Ynetnews quoted lead researcher Shmuel Gan-Mor as saying that “the multispectral spray works against diseases, insects, fungi and agricultural pests, such as mites, sternorrhyncha, and powdery mildew.”

The new pesticide, which it said is safe for immediate harvesting and has a long shelf-life, costs just $1 per liter to produce.

According to Israel’s Agriculture Ministry, Agricultural Research Organization, the emulsion has been proven effective against pests that target vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini and peppers as well as cereal grains including wheat, barley and oats, Ynetnews said.

The pesticide could “significantly reduce overhead expenditures in farms that need to use large amounts of pesticides and can also be used as a preventative measure, to ward off pests,” according to the article.