Vol. 12, Special Issue 10 (2023)

Author(s):
Pranab Dutta, Tanjil Rahman, Madhusmita Mahanta, Munni Das, Jesonkere Sutnga, Gitasree Das, Pritam Das and Ritikka Raj

Abstract:
Pest problem has resulted in major limitation on the agricultural output as well as the quality of agricultural produce. To mitigate this increasing pest problems, there has been a continuous search for an alternative method which is environment friendly, safe to non-target organisms and sustainable. Microbial control which involves the disease causing mechanisms of microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, virus and nematodes called entomopathogens to bring about death of target insect pest has been recently explored extensively as an eco-friendly alternative to the use of synthetic pesticides. In the natural world, entomopathogens naturally control the populations of many arthropods. In addition, entomopathogens have been used as traditional biological pest control agents for non-native insect pests and habitat modification has improved their capacity for natural pest management. All of these are widely distributed in the environment and naturally infect various pest species. Many of these entomopathogens can be manufactured in large quantities and prepared for use in the field to control pest populations in a way that is similar to the use of chemical pesticides. The potential for pest control is expanded by the use of entomopathogens.