NEEM OIL

The Neem Oil is a very important natural product for organic and integrated agriculture, as it has both a powerful phyto-repellent action and fungistatic action.

It has been used for centuries by Eastern populations, particularly by the Indian people, and it is known to effectively control more than 200 species of plant pathogens. This property is attributed to a mix of alkaloids and mainly to Azadirachtin present in Neem seed extracts. Azadirachtin is a growth disruptor for insects and a deterrent for their feeding and oviposition.

When a parasite feeds on the leaf or sap of a plant treated with Neem oil, substances such as Azadirachtin, Salannin, and Melandriol generate an anti-peristaltic wave in the insect's digestive tract, causing a sensation of vomiting. The parasite's ability to swallow is blocked and, furthermore, due to this sensation, the insect no longer feeds on the treated surface. Because of these substances, the females are unable to complete the oviposition process, therefore there is no further damage to the vegetation.

The Neem Oil can also control, like all other oils used in agriculture, the proliferation of mites, whiteflies, aphids, and other types of soft-bodied insects through suffocation. For the reasons mentioned above, many insects over the centuries have learned to avoid areas and vegetation treated with this product, which is why Neem oil is considered a powerful insect repellent.

As a fungistatic agent, Neem oil is used both in preventive strategies and when the problem is already evident. In fact, the treatment based on Neem oil creates a hydrophobic film that covers the leaf surface and prevents the germination of fungal spores.