Microbial Insecticides

Microbial Insecticides

Microbial Insecticides
Pests and diseases can be effectively controlled without chemical pesticides by good crop management practices.

Integrated Pest Management
It is a law that emphasises the need to restrict insect population rather than to eradicate them so that the pest population is kept at a non-injurious level.

IPM is a pest management system that in the context of the associated environment and the population dynamics of the pest species utilises all suitable techniques and methods in as compatible a manner as possible to maintain the pest population at levels below those causing economic injury.

Population of pathogenic or predatory microorganisms that are antagonistic towards a particular pest population provide a natural means of controlling pest population and preparations of such antagonistic microbial populations are called microbial pesticides or microbial insecticides.

An effective microbial pesticide possesses the following characteristics:

The microbial pathogen must be virulent and cause disease in the
pest population when properly applied at the recommended concentration.

Pathogen should not be susceptible to environmental conditions.

After application, it should survive long until the infection is established within the pest population. Resistant stages of the pathogen like spores or cysts are best for use.

The pathogen should be rather specific for the pest population and must not cause disease in the non-pest population.
It should rapidly establish disease in the pest population so as to minimise destruction caused by the pest.

The microbial pesticide should be harmless to humans and other valued plant and animal population.

The various types of microbial insecticides include (a) bacterial pesticides
(b) viral pesticides and (c) fungal pesticides.

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