Question

Which one of the following is a third-generation pesticide?
A. Chemosterilants
B. Organochlorines
C. Antifeedants
D. Carbamates

Answer 1

Pesticides are the chemical substance or the organic substance which are used for destroying pests or repel them, these pests destroy the plant by eating them which results in destroyed crops and financial crisis, the pesticide is of different types and they are classified into first-generation pesticide, second-generation pesticide, and the third-generation pesticides.

Complete answer: The first generation of pesticides are the pesticides which were used long ago and had both the inorganic and organic compounds, the inorganic compounds such as the minerals which did not degrade into the environment were used, they accumulated in the soil making it infertile, the organic compounds are composed of plants which develop the resistance to the insects, they degrade into the soil and does not make the land infertile. The synthetic botanicals which are created chemically, but have the structure of the plants, are also considered to be the first-generation pesticides. The second-generation pesticides are the pesticides that are made synthetically and the three most common groups of these are organophosphates, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and carbamates, these are also known as insecticides and they all display different properties. The third-generation pesticides are the pesticides that are modified forms of the insect’s hormones that show the specificity to the pests such as the antifeedants. These insect hormones are called the juvenile hormone which is made in two small glands in their head. These hormones correspond to methoprene, hydroprene, and fenoxycarb which do not kill the insects but prevent the growth of their larvae, and this results in the decreased population of the insects.
Hence, the correct option is ‘C’.

Note: The antifeedants are the organic compounds that are produced by the plants and they inhibit the attacks by the insects, or the grazing animals. They have a variety of activities as biopesticides and also have chemical structures, these chemical compounds are secondary metabolites which is generally not essential for the plant metabolism but is essential in their longevity.