Several kinds of pests can infest the different parts of plants/crops, and damage them partially or sometimes completely, seriously affecting the quantity and quality of the yield. Moreover, certain crop production intensification practices (e.g. early season spraying of pesticides in rice fields) can even increase the impact of pests on plants. In order to protect their plants, farmers used to spray chemical products (pesticides). However, these chemicals could have a negative effect on and cause serious damage to health and the environment as well as, sometimes, on to the health of the plant itself.
