Entomopathogenic Fungi: A Potential Source for Biological Control of Insect Pests

Insect pests with high population level are inimical and cause enormous damage to agricultural crops and economy as well as decrease the food security for the growing human population. For controlling insect pests, the use of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) is very much useful, and it was developed as eco-friendly mycopesticide that is useful in the regulation of insect pests. These entomopathogenic fungi have a unique mode of infection on different orders of insects. Recently, it was investigated that in addition to insect pest control, these entomopathogenic fungi also act as endophytes and biocontrol agents of plant pathogens and promote plant growth as rhizosphere fungi. Numerous environmental abiotic and biotic factors are recognized to inhibit or enhance the fungal efficacy against the insect pathogens. Advanced research in the genome biology of pathogenic insect fungi has shown that genetic features of these organisms are developed for fungal adaptation with various host insects. The efforts toward genetic engineering of entomopathogens, the knowledge of its virulence and tolerance to adverse conditions will potentiate cost-effective applications of mycoinsecticides for pest control in the agricultural fields. The studies suggest that the exploitation of ecological, genetic and functional diversity of these fungi increases our potential for integrated pest management. Consideration of the insect microbiome in fungal insect pathology represents a new frontier which may contribute in deciphering the obscure pathological aspects of the biology of entomopathogenic fungi and its ecology. Taking these into account, in the present chapter, we highlight the importance, classification, mode of action, factors affecting its virulence efficacy, the role of genetic engineering in strain improvement, and ground level of entomopathogenic fungi for integrated pest management (IPM), and plant growth promotion with commercial available entomopathogenic products is critically discussed.