Editing Pyrethrin (section)

==Production==

[[File:Tanacetum cinerariifolium1.jpg|thumb|''Tanacetum cinerariifolium'' also called the Dalmatian chrysanthemum]]

Commercial pyrethrin production mainly takes place in mountainous equatorial zones. The commercial cultivation of the [[Dalmatian chrysanthemum]] (''C. cinerariifolium'') takes place at an altitude of 1600 to 3000 meters<ref name="HOME PRODUCTION OF PYRETHRUM 2015"/> above sea level.<ref name=anonym>Anonym. 1987 (March). Pepping up pesticides naturally. Organic Gardening, 34(3):8.</ref> This is done because pyrethrin concentration has been shown to increase as elevation increases to this level. Growing these plants does not require much water because semiarid conditions and a cool winter deliver optimal pyrethrin production. The [[Persian chrysanthemum]] ''C. coccineum'' also produces pyrethrins but at a much lower level. Both may be planted in low-altitude zones in dry soil, but the pyrethrin level is lower.<ref name="HOME PRODUCTION OF PYRETHRUM 2015">"[https://eap.mcgill.ca/agrobio/ab360-02e.htm HOME PRODUCTION OF PYRETHRUM]." Home Production of Pyrethrum. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.</ref>

Pyrethrum extracted of the Persian chrysanthemum (''painted daisy'') was already imported to central Europe from [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] in the middle of the 19th century.
Most of the world's supply of pyrethrin and ''C. cinerariaefolium'' today comes from [[Kenya]], which produces the most potent flowers. Other countries include [[Croatia]] (in [[Dalmatia]]) and Japan. The flower was first introduced into Kenya and the highlands of Eastern Africa during the late 1920s. Since the 2000s, Kenya has produced about 70% of the world's supply of pyrethrum.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wainaina |first=Job M. G. |contribution=Pyrethrum Flowers -- Production in Africa |editor1-first=John E. |editor1-last=Casida |editor2-first=Gary B. |editor2-last=Quistad |title=Pyrethrum Flowers |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1995 |isbn=0-19-508210-9 }}</ref> A substantial amount of the flowers are cultivated by small-scale farmers who depend on it as a source of income. It is a major source of export income for Kenya and source of over 3,500 additional jobs. About 23,000 tons were harvested in 1975. The active ingredients are extracted with [[organic solvent]]s to give a concentrate containing the six types of pyrethrins: [[pyrethrin I]], [[pyrethrin II]], cinerin I, cinerin II, jasmolin I, and jasmolin II.<ref name=Ullmann>{{cite book |doi=10.1002/14356007.a14_263 |chapter=Insect Control |title=Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry |year=2000 |last1=Metcalf |first1=Robert L. |isbn=978-3-527-30673-2}}</ref>

Processing the flowers to cultivate the pyrethrin is often a lengthy process, and one that varies from area to area. For instance, in Japan, the flowers are hung upside down to dry which increases pyrethrin concentration slightly.<ref name="HOME PRODUCTION OF PYRETHRUM 2015"/> To process pyrethrin, the flowers must be crushed. The degree to which the flower is crushed has an effect on both the longevity of the pyrethrin usage and the quality. The finer powder produced is better suited for use as an insecticide than the more coarsely crushed flowers. However, the more coarsely crushed flowers have a longer shelf life and deteriorate less.<ref name="HOME PRODUCTION OF PYRETHRUM 2015"/>