Microbial control of insect

• Refers to use of micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, protozoon, nematodes, viruses for control of pest are known as microbial control.
• Production and use of micro-organisms as a means to insect pest control.
• Microorganism in managing insect pests refers to entomopathogens.
• Entomopathogen includes virus, bacteria, fungi, protozoan and nematodes.
• These agents are commonly isolated from insect hosts and employed against their suppression.
• First commercial production of a microbe was Bacillus thuriengiensis(Bt) by the French in 1938, but their venture was not successful.
• In 1948, the milky disease, Bacillus papilliae and lentimorbus produced commercially and used against Japanese beetle in the USA.
• In the 1950s, European countries produced Bt, and in 1962, the USA began commercial production of Bt.
• The initial Bt isolate was not very efficacious against the targeted Lepidopterous pests, but subsequent isolates proved to be more effective. . .
• Reasons for higher sales are: improved performance of bio-products, growing resistance of insect pests to synthetic pesticides and environmental concerns