Beauveria Bassiana: An Ecofriendly Entomopathogenic Fungi for Agriculture and Environmental Sustainability

In the present day perspective, with the increasing cost of chemical pesticides along with increasing incidences of pesticide toxicity, the application of microbial pesticides holds good promise for crop protection around the world. Beauveria bassiana is a common soil fungus, having a broad host range and therefore is used for biological control of soil-dwelling insect pests. As this fungus is epizootic, it is being used worldwide as a biopesticide to control several pests, such as termites, whiteflies, and malaria-transmitting mosquitoes. The use of this fungus in different crop protection systems significantly controls the Colorado potato beetle, codling moth, and several genera of termites and bollworms. As insecticides, the spores are sprayed on affected crops as an emulsified suspension or wettable powder. Generally, B. bassiana is considered a nonselective pesticide because it parasitizes a very high range of arthropod hosts. This entomopathogenic fungus is also applied against the European and Indian corn borer, pine caterpillar, and green leafhoppers. The ability of B. bassiana to antagonize, parasitize, and kill insects endorses it as an efficient biocontrol agent. Although B. bassiana has a good share in the total biopesticide market, there is still ample scope for further development of this superior strain through advertisement among the farming community. 

Keywords: Beauveria bassiana, Biopesticide, Soil fungus, Soil inhabiting organisms.