Citral: A Plant-Derived Compound with Excellent Potential for Sustainable Crop Protection

Citral (C₁₀H₁₆O), an acyclic monoterpene compound widely present in the essential oils of plants such as Litsea cubeba and Cymbopogon citratus, exhibits excellent potential as a green pesticide alternative in the field of sustainable crop protection due to its broad-spectrum biological activities (insecticidal, antimicrobial, and herbicidal) and prominent environmental safety (no genotoxicity, low ecological accumulation risk). This review systematically summarizes the plant resource distribution, extraction processes, biosynthetic synthesis pathway, and chemical preparation of citral; elaborates on the innovative findings in agricultural pest control as well as postharvest preservation, and summarizes the mechanisms of action against agricultural pests; and discusses the research progress in overcoming application bottlenecks such as high volatility and instability through structural modification and functional optimization strategies. The purpose of this review is to provide a solid scientific foundation and important reference for the research and development of citral-based green pesticides.