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Biopesticides: Uses and importance in insect pest control: A review
Abstract
Biopesticides are made up of plant materials that kill insects and a variety of microorganisms that kill insects, such as entomopathogenic fungi, entomopathogenic bacteria, entomopathogenic viruses, and entomopathogenic nematodes. These are used to get rid of agricultural and household insect pests. Several new methods are being developed in the biopesticide sector, and production and marketing of biopesticides are increasing significantly worldwide because of the noteworthy results in integrated pest management. Lots of Bt-genic crops, different types of entomopathogenic bacteria, entomopathogenic viruses, entomopathogenic fungi, and nematode-associated entomopathogenic bacteria are available in the market and are being used in agriculture to protect crops from insect pests and reduce insect pest populations. In the present review, we describe the role of biopesticides, including microbial and plant-derived ones, in insect pest management and the importance of their uses. An updated illustration of the present information on biopesticides and the availability of their commercial products and active substances in plants that can be very helpful in Insect pest management is reported in this review.
... Several insects including butterflies are considered as bioindicator for several factors and potential pollinators (Saddam et al. 2017 and2023;Raina et al. 2021). However, their population are declining rapidly because of excessive use of chemical pesticides, urbanization, forest fire, overgrazing Saddam et al. 2024) and impact of climate change. The diversity within Lepidoptera comprises over 50,000 species belonging to 84 families and 18 superfamilies. ...
... The genitalia of male butterflies have been the subject of several detailed studies as its morphology can provide the basis for work of taxonomy, systematic as well as phylogenetic analysis (Bonfantti et al. 2013). Studies on the male genital structures, specifically the valvae, have been carried out, indicating the physical significance of the gentilic features when establishing the evolutionary relationships (Miller, 1988;Tyler et al. 1994;Saddam et al. 2024). During this study, we observed that in Papilio clytia Linnaeus, the saccus and uncus of male genitalia are similar in length, uncus has a long narrow projection, female genitalia have no signum, apophysis sclerotised with prominent anal papillae. ...
Animal genitalia, especially those of insects, are very precise taxonomic features as they are strongly conserved within species but typically diverge significantly after speciation. In many cases, the shape of the genitalia is the only accurate way to distinguish between different species. A study was carried out to examine the butterflies in the Shimla province from a faunistic, ecological, and zoogeographic perspective. Seven species of the Swallowtail butterfly genus Papilio; P. machaon, P. protenor, P. polyctor, P. demoleus, P. paris, P. clytia, P. polyeuctes belonging to Papilionidae family were recorded in the study and have been described based on external appearance, their remarkable wing patterns and the genital organ morphology. Meanwhile; major taxonomic differences which help distinguish them from each other were photographed and the related information is given accordingly.
... However, long-horned beetles spend most of their life stages beneath the bark of the host tree, with the exception of the adult phase; thus, these measures are less effective against larvae. Additionally, chemical insecticides have limited effective duration, pose significant risk to non-target insects, contaminate water, and disrupt ecological balance [7][8][9][10][11]. Introducing D. helophoroides eggs or adults into the environment offers a sustainable approach to control long-horned beetles in the field, with successful implementation in China [12][13][14]. ...
Long-horned beetles are among the major insect pests that can cause significant economic and ecological damage globally. The control of long-horned beetles is crucial to sustain the forest ecosystem. Dastarcus helophoroides, an economically important ectoparasitoid of long-horned beetles, is widely utilized in biological control strategies. However, the number of larval instars in D. helophoroides remains underexplored. Larval instar determination is crucial for constructing growth prediction models and ecological life tables for insect populations. In this study, we analyzed the frequency distribution of head capsule widths utilizing a visual approach, followed by a non-linear least squares (NLLS) estimation, and found that D. helophoroides undergo four larval instars before entering the pupal stage. The theoretical and observed data for each larval instar yielded identical mean Brooks–Dyar’s ratios (1.80). Re-correlation of the number of instars with their respective mean head capsule widths using linear regression (R²) verified that no larval instar was missed. The Crosby’s growth ratio (1% and 2%) indicates a very low likelihood of misclassifying an instar into an adjacent one. Given that the accurate determination of larval instars is crucial for developing effective control programs and predicting future population levels, our findings provide valuable insights for implementing biological control strategies against long-horned beetles.
... Pests have developed defenses against chemical pesticides and quickly adapt to newly introduced toxins, making them a major environmental threat due to the widespread use of chemical sprays that contaminate various environmental components like soil, air, water, and even mother's milk [72] . This situation necessitates the adoption of bio-pesticides for pest control [47,89] . Given the diverse range of crops, the use of naturally derived biopesticides proves to be safer, more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and readily available [15,73,99] . ...
This research explores plant-derived bio-pesticides as eco-friendly solutions for controlling the Prodenia litura (Fabricius) insect pest. It assesses the effectiveness and practical applications of these biopesticides, aiming to provide sustainable alternatives to traditional pest control methods. Various plant-based compounds are tested for their ability to repel or deter Prodenia litura (Fabricius), offering new insights into integrated pest management strategies. The widespread use of synthetic pesticides poses a serious threat to environmental contamination. Prodenia litura (Fabricius), commonly known as the tobacco caterpillar, is a highly damaging polyphagous insect that attacks an impressive range of 65 host plant species, as well as other insect pests. One major challenge is the insects' development of defense mechanisms against these toxins, primarily through phenol oxidase chemicals in their bodies that function similarly to hemocytes, providing strong resistance against poisons and invaders. Any substance capable of disrupting this defense mechanism would significantly impact the insect's fitness. Considering the critical importance of plant safety for ecosystem health, the preference is shifting towards naturally derived pesticides and insecticides. This study evaluates the insecticidal effectiveness of extracts from fourteen plant species against the tobacco caterpillar, Prodenia litura (Fabricius), using petroleum ether extraction at different concentrations. The results emphasize the potential of plant-derived bio-pesticides to reduce insect damage while promoting environmental and human health.
... Microbial control involves the use of live pathogenic microorganisms and their metabolites for pest control. Compared with chemical insecticides, microbial insecticides derived from entomopathogenic microorganisms offer advantages, such as eco-friendliness, large-scale production, and sustainable pest control, and have been widely used in the integrated pest management of current agro-forestry ecosystems [118][119][120]. Entomopathogenic microorganisms infect insects and cause diseases that can spread among insect populations [121]. ...
Insect’s resilience to adverse conditions poses a significant challenge for integrated pest control. This has resulted in huge economic losses to agriculture and forestry production as well as a range of severe ecological issues. As a physiological mechanism of insects, digestive physiology plays an important role in the process of adaptation to stress factors. However, there has been no systematic review of what stresses insects can adapt to through digestive physiology and how digestive physiology is involved in insect adaptation to stresses. In this review, the potential link between digestive physiology and adaptation of insects to biotic and abiotic stresses, including plant defense mechanisms, chemical insecticides, and entomopathogenic microorganisms, is analyzed. We point to that digestive physiology composed of digestive enzymes and gut microbial communities is an important strategy for insects to resist plant physical defense (e.g., hemicellulose, pectin, and microfibers), chemical defense (e.g., azadirachtin, diterpenoid acids, and phenolic glycosides), chemical insecticide stress, and entomopathogenic microorganism infection. In addition, the primary function of the digestive physiology in insects is to ensure energy supply during biotic and abiotic stress, assist in the metabolism of exogenous toxins (e.g., anti-insect proteins, primary metabolites, secondary metabolites, and insecticides), and improve their innate immunity against entomopathogenic microorganisms. This review is helpful to elucidate the mechanism of pest adaptation to adversity, and provide a breakthrough point for analyzing the causes of pest outbreaks.
Graphical abstract
... In the last two decades, biopesticide applications have gained immense attention in agriculture, and recent updates need to be compiled to emphasize the effective implementation of biopesticides in agriculture [36,37]. Thus, the current review shows the significance of using biopesticides in agriculture and the recent progress achieved in biopesticide production over the past few decades. ...
Food security is threatened by biotic stress on crops, e.g., from invasive pests, in the context of climate change. Pest control has traditionally been achieved using synthetic pesticides, yet pollution and the persistence and toxicity of some pesticides are inducing food contamination and, in turn, generating public concern. As a consequence, biopesticides are increasingly used, notably for organic crops. For instance, some microorganisms produce biopesticidal compounds such as secondary metabolites or growth-inhibitory enzymes. Most reviews on this topic mainly focus on describing microbial species and their active compounds. However, there are very few studies and reviews describing various process parameters. Here, we review both microbial biopesticides and factors controlling physicochemical conditions for the scaling up of biopesticide production. We present biopesticides from bacteria (e.g., Bacillus thuringiensis), algae, fungi, and viruses and review the biocontrol mechanisms and applications of commercial biopesticides. The benefits of genetic engineering for enhancing activity and drawbacks such as commercialization are also discussed.
Biopesticides are natural, biologically occurring compounds that are used to control various agricultural pests infesting plants in forests, gardens, farmlands, etc. There are different types of biopesticides that have been developed from various sources. This paper underscores the utility of biocontrol agents composed of microorganisms including bacteria, cyanobacteria, and microalgae, plant-based compounds, and recently applied RNAi-based technology. These techniques are described and suggestions are made for their application in modern agricultural practices for managing crop yield losses due to pest infestation. Biopesticides have several advantages over their chemical counterparts and are expected to occupy a large share of the market in the coming period.
In this review, we describe the role of plant-derived biochemicals that are toxic to insect pests. Biotic stress in plants caused by insect pests is one of the most significant problems, leading to yield losses. Synthetic pesticides still play a significant role in crop protection. However, the environmental side effects and health issues caused by the overuse or inappropriate application of synthetic pesticides forced authorities to ban some problematic ones. Consequently, there is a strong necessity for novel and alternative insect pest control methods. An interesting source of ecological pesticides are biocidal compounds, naturally occurring in plants as allelochemicals (secondary metabolites), helping plants to resist, tolerate or compensate the stress caused by insect pests. The abovementioned bioactive natural products are the first line of defense in plants against insect herbivores. The large group of secondary plant metabolites, including alkaloids, saponins, phenols and terpenes, are the most promising compounds in the management of insect pests. Secondary metabolites offer sustainable pest control, therefore we can conclude that certain plant species provide numerous promising possibilities for discovering novel and ecologically friendly methods for the control of numerous insect pests.
Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are microorganisms that cause fatal diseases of arthropods. The infection process involves several stages that consist of direct contact of the fungus with the surface of the cuticle of the attacked insect. The factors that determine the effectiveness of the infection process include lytic enzymes, secondary metabolites, and adhesins produced by EPF. Because of their high insecticidal effectiveness, these fungi are commonly used as biopesticides in organic farming. As the environment and farmlands are contaminated with many compounds of anthropogenic origin (e.g., pesticides), the effects of these toxic compounds on EPF and the mechanisms that affect their survival in such a toxic environment have been studied in recent years. This review presents information on the capacity of EPF to remove toxic contaminants, including alkylphenols, organotin compounds, synthetic estrogens, pesticides and hydrocarbons. Moreover, these fungi produce numerous secondary metabolites that can be potentially used in medicine or as antimicrobial agents. Despite their huge potential in biocontrol processes, the use of EPF has been underestimated due to a lack of knowledge on their abilities. In our work, we have presented the available data on the possibilities of the additional and unconventional use of these microorganisms.
India has a vast potential for microbial pesticides, as our economy is agriculture based; however, its adoption needs education for their maximum gains. The scientists should also explore all the possibilities for popularization and constraints in this emerging field. Extensive and inappropriate pesticide use has caused pest resistance to major groups of pesticides, resurgence of secondary pests, high pesticide residue in the produce and decimation of natural enemies. Their excessive use has caused adverse effects on human beings and environment. An eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides is biopesticides, which falls into three classes. These include microbial pesticides, plant-incorporated protectants (PIPs) and biochemical pesticides. The microbial pesticides comprise of bacteria, fungi, protozoans and viruses. This chapter also includes the genetic improvement of microbial pesticides, use of microbial pesticides in India, role of microbial pesticides in bio-intensive integrated pest management (IPM) and their advantages and disadvantages.
Despite the harmful implications involved in the use of synthetic chemicals to control pests, still they are extensively used in all countries all over the world. The increased social pressure to replace them gradually with other alternatives that are safe to humans and non-target organisms has led to increased development of compounds based on the models of naturally occurring active ingredients of biological origin, having various biological activities known as "biopesticides". Biopesticides are broad array of microbial pesticides, biochemicals derived from microorganisms , phytochemicals and other natural sources, and processes involves the genetic modification of plants to express genes encoding insecticidal toxins. The use of biopesticides for pest control today is an evolving field in pest management. This paper reviewed the current state of knowledge on the potential use of biopesticides for pests control globally, highlighting the concept of biopesticides, their categories, utilisation in pest management, formulations, application technology/method at different stages of advancement in both delivery and efficiency with their classical/key examples of successful use in commercial control of pests for agricultural crops and finally with empherical information on mechanisms of actions of biopesticides on pests control.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antifungal activity of aqueous and organic extracts from native Withania somnifera L. leaves, stems, and fruits against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici (FORL), the causal agent of Fusarium Crown and Root Rot disease in tomato. Aqueous and organic extracts (used at 1, 2, 3 and 4%) were added to molten Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium. After pathogen challenge, cultures were incubated at 25°C for 5 days. All extracts tested, whatever the concentrations used, showed a strong antifungal activity toward targeted pathogen. FORL response to the different extracts assessed using the poisoned food technique, varied depending on plant organs, concentrations tested and organic solvent used for extraction. For aqueous extracts, fruit extract used at 2% exhibited the highest antifungal potential where FORL growth was decreased by 56.27%, relative to the untreated control, compared to 52 and 45.34% achieved using stem and leaf extracts at 3%, respectively. The highest antifungal activity of organic extracts was registred at the highest concentration used (4%). FORL was found to be more sensitive to fruit extracts than those from leaves and stems. Among the three organic extracts tested, butanolic fractions were the most active against FORL growth. The highest antifungal potential expressed by 62.03% decrease in pathogen radial growth was displayed by butanolic stem extracts applied at 4%. These results indicate that native W. somnifera plants may be exploited as potential source of allelochemicals biologically active against FORL.
Sound formulation is a vital aspect of microbial products used to protect plants from pests and diseases and to improve plant performance. Formulation of Microbial Biopesticides is an in-depth treatment of this vitally important subject. Written by experts and carefully edited, this important title brings together a huge wealth of information for the first time within the covers of one book.
The book is broadly divided into five sections, covering principles of formulation, organisms with peroral and contact modes of action, organisms with the power of search, and future trends. Each section contains comprehensive chapters written by internationally acknowledged experts in the areas covered; the book also includes three very useful appendices, cataloguing formulation additives, spray application criteria and terminology.
This outstanding book is a vitally important reference work for anyone involved in the formulation of microbial biopesticides and should find a place on the shelves of agriculture and plant scientists, microbiologists and entomologists working in academic and commercial agrochemical situations, and in the libraries of all research establishments and companies where this exciting subject is researched, studied or taught.