Natural products for pest control: an analysis of their role, value and future

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:bold>Natural products (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NPs</jats:styled-content>) have long been used as pesticides and have broadly served as a source of inspiration for a great many commercial synthetic organic fungicides, herbicides and insecticides that are in the market today. In light of the continuing need for new tools to address an ever‐changing array of fungal, weed and insect pests, <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NPs</jats:styled-content> continue to be a source of models and templates for the development of new pest control agents. Interestingly, an examination of the literature suggests that <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NP</jats:styled-content> models exist for many of the pest control agents that were discovered by other means, suggesting that, had circumstances been different, these <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NPs</jats:styled-content> could have served as inspiration for the discovery of a great many more of today's pest control agents. Here, an attempt is made to answer questions regarding the existence of an <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NP</jats:styled-content> model for existing classes of pesticides and what is needed for the discovery of new <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NPs</jats:styled-content> and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NP</jats:styled-content> models for pest control agents. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry</jats:bold></jats:p>