Scientists have developed biodegradable lambda-cyhalothrin microcapsules for sustainable long-term pest control.

The ineffectiveness of traditional pesticides leads to significant resource losses, serious environmental pollution, and potential threats to human health. Pesticide microcapsules represent a promising strategy for developing environmentally friendly, safe, and long-acting formulations. This is stated in a study published on ScienceDirect.com. In this study, scientists created biodegradable starch nanocrystals (SNC) through acid hydrolysis and used octenyl succinic anhydride-modified SNC (O-SNC) to manufacture pesticide microcapsules. Specifically, O-SNC was used to emulsify molten lambda-cyhalothrin (LC) via Pickering interfacial polymerization. Further interfacial polymerization of this emulsion produced microcapsules whose size could be adjusted by varying the content of O-SNC. These microcapsules demonstrate high encapsulation efficiency and excellent storage stability. Moreover, they exhibit excellent sustained pest control efficacy, maintaining high insecticidal ...