[1][page needed][2] They are components of integrated pest management (IPM) programmes, and have received much practical attention as substitutes to synthetic chemical plant protection products (PPPs).
[3] Regulatory positions can be influenced by public perceptions, thus: Biopesticides usually have no known function in photosynthesis, growth or other basic aspects of plant physiology.
[11] However, in 2012, the Australian Safe Food Foundation claimed that the RNA trigger designed to change the starch content of wheat might interfere with the gene for a human liver enzyme.
The US National Honey Bee Advisory Board told EPA that using RNAi would put natural systems at "the epitome of risk".
Other unassessed risks include ecological (given the need for sustained presence for herbicides) and possible RNA drift across species boundaries.
Startup Forest Innovations is investigating RNAi as a solution to citrus greening disease that in 2014 caused 22 percent of oranges in Florida to fall off the trees.
The role of hydrolytic enzymes especially chitinases in the killing process, and the possible use of chitin synthesis inhibitors are the prime research areas.
Other microbial control agents include products based on: Various animal, fungal, and plant organisms and extracts have been used as biopesticides.
Their benefits include: a 0-day pre-harvest interval (see: maximum residue limit), success under moderate to severe disease pressure, and the ability to use as a tank mix or in a rotational program with other fungicides.
Many biofungicidal products show capacities to stimulate plant host defense and other physiological processes that can make treated crops more resistant to stresses.