Plants as potential sources of botanical insecticides -: Bioprospecting and prospects with special reference to Azadirachta excelsa

Plants form the most important component of the Malaysian rainforest's biodiversity. They are known to provide many leads in drug discovery and offer an excellent source of biologically active natural products (e.g. herbal medicine). Previous bioprospecting and bioscreening activities carried out in Malaysia have mainly been tailored to the needs of the pharmaceutical industry. The potential utilization of plants as botanical insecticides has rarely been explored though a number of them have been traditionally used for pest control. Given the increasing interest in environmental-friendly products worldwide, the economic potential of exploring Malaysian plant resources as botanical insecticides is unlimited. This paper discusses the bioprospecting strategy, current research and prospects of botanical insecticides.