The allelopathy of Lantana and its use as a biopesticide

Lantana-image in the public domain from wiki.

Lantana is a genus  with around 150 species of plants.Their flowers are attractive enough for bees but cattle  generally stay clear from these shrubs because it is a poisonous plant.

It is also a famous weed and a nuisance because of its invasive nature.This plant has a negative allelopathy towards many other plants which are likely to grow around it.

Allelopathy is the term given to a phenomenon where an organism influences the growth and survival of other organisms.Allelopathy can either  be positive or negative depending on whether it blocks the growth or is beneficial for the target organisms.
Lantana can be used as a bio-insecticide with good results .Organic pesticides can be much cheaper and with little side effects.The extracts of Lantana camara is said to have insect repelling properties on Aphids, on Corn Weevils and Rice weevils and even on the infamous mosquito -  the Aedes  .

Weevil -image in public domain 

an Aphids infested plant-image in the public domain