TITLE:
Development of Halloysite-Stabilized Neem Oil Emulsions: A Greener Formulation Strategy for Agricultural Pest Management
AUTHORS:
Sandeep S. Palkhe, Mayur A. Patil, Gunvant H. Sonawane
KEYWORDS:
Neem Oils, Halloysites, Acephate, Spodoptera frugiperda, Emulsion Stability
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.17 No.3,
March
24,
2026
ABSTRACT: Developing an Eco-friendly formulation is essential to reducing the use of traditional pesticides. Halloysite nanotubes were added as a stabilizing or emulsifying agent, neem oil was utilized to create Pickering emulsions, and acephate was added to evaluate the pesticidal effectiveness. Microscopic images show that the interfacial tension and droplet size decrease with increasing HNT levels. The contact angle affects the pesticide formulations’ capacity to stick, moisten, and disperse on plant leaves. The majority of produced emulsions exhibit good wettability at contact angles below 60˚. HNTs were efficiently adsorbed at droplet interfaces, as confirmed by EDS, SEM, and FTIR, ensuring the stability of the emulsion. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus were the bacterial strains employed to test the biosafety. Using Spodoptera frugiperda as a pest model and maize as a plant model, insecticidal tests were conducted. It is neem oil-based emulsions that have the highest fatality rate. These results show that HNT-stabilized Neem oil emulsions provide a reliable, environmentally friendly, and biosafe platform for pest control.