Washington, Aug 13 - Researchers have discovered that the circadian rhythms or biological 'clocks' in some insects can make them far more susceptible to pesticides at certain times of the day than other.

With further research, it may be possible to tap into this genetic characteristic, identify the times that a target insect is most vulnerable to a specific pesticide, and use that information to boost the effectiveness of a pesticide.

'We found that it took triple the dose of one pesticide to have the same lethal effect on fruit flies at the time of day their defences were strongest, compared to when they were weakest,' said Louisa Hooven, study co-author from Oregon State University (OSU).

In the latest study, circadian rhythms appear to coordinate 'xenobiotic metabolizing' genes, or the genes responsible for breaking down and detoxifying various poisons, such as pesticides.

Besides that, it's possible that circadian clocks may also affect absorption, distribution, excretion, and molecular targets of toxicity.

The findings were published in PLoS ONE.