BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF INSECT PESTS

P. MAHESH
Insect pests are a major biotic stress factor influencing agriculture
production and responsible for 2530% annual loss of the worlds food
production. The indiscriminate and non-judicious use of toxic pesticides causes
serious environmental problems. The emphasis on sustainable agriculture without
ecological hazards and an increase in the demand for a pesticide-free food have
necessitated the development of an eco-friendly pest management system. Biological
control is an eco-friendly, self-sustaining, key component of pest management system
which makes use of different categories of natural enemies as candidate agents.
Categories of biocontrol agents
Parasitoids
These are parasitic insects whose immature life stages obtain their nutrition
by associating with other insects and feeding in or on their body contents,
ultimately killing them. Parasitoids are often considered more effective
natural enemies because many have a narrow host range, require only one
host to complete development and have an excellent ability to locate and kill
their host. Some of the most important insect parasitoids in pest management
are: Trichogramma spp, Encarsia spp. and Cotesia spp.
Predators
Predators are specialized insects or arthropods that feed on other insects by
hunting, killing and directly consuming them with minimum assocation.
Insects and non-insect predators are often used in biological control because
they are active, strong and large with high feeding rates on both immature
and adult stages of prey. Some of the predators that are very useful in pest
management in agriculture system are dragonfly, damselfly, robber fly, hover
fly, ladybird beetles, ground beetles, green lacewings, preying mantids,
predatory mites, and spiders.
Entomopathogens
Bacteria, virus and fungi causing diseases in insects constitute
entomopathogens.
Bacteria
Several species of Bacillus are used for insect control. These are aerobic,
unicellular, spore-forming and rod-shaped bacteria. Bacillus produces
endospores which infect the mid gut epithelial cells and enter the
haemolymph to sporulate and cause septicemia. The best-known and most
widely used Bt insecticides are formulated from Bacillus thuringiensis isolates
that mainly affect larval stages of insects. The most commonly available
Bacillus thuringiensis products are Dipel, Halt, Delfin, Biobit, Biolep and
Thuricide. They are used to control many lepidopteran leaf-feeding
caterpillars.
Viruses
Viruses in the family Baculoviridae are known to infect over 500 species of
insects and are used as potential biopesticides in insect pest management.
Baculoviruses are double stranded DNA viruses having rod shaped virions.
The family Baculoviridae includes the nuclear polyhedrosis viruses (NPV)
and granulosis viruses (GV).
Fungi
Fungi infect insects and cause disease in the host which is commonly called as
mycosis. More than 500 species of entomopathogenic fungi infect insects.
Members belonging to Deuteromycetes and Phycomycetes are important
entomogenous fungi that attack insects. Most of the entomopathogenic fungi
infect their hosts by penetrating the cuticle using cuticle digesting enzymes
(proteases, lipases, chitinases) and mechanical pressure. Once the hypha
enters the insect body it multiplies and is completely fills the body with
mycelia. Insect death occurs due to extensive mycelial growth in the
haemolymph and poisoning by fungal toxins. The typical symptoms of fungal
infection are mummification of insect body. Commonly used fungi for insect
control are Beauveria bassiana, Metarrhizium anisopliae, Hirsutella thompsonii
andVericillium lecanii.