Endophytic fungi as biological control agents and their indirect effects on plants

Abstract

The use of entomopathogenic fungi represents one of the most important non-chemical alternatives for pest control in crop production. In addition to their pathogenicity to arthropods, they have many other important effects that favor their use in biological control. They live in plants as endophytes and have an inhibitory effect on plant pathogens. They inhabit the rhizosphere of many plants in natural and agricultural ecosystems and have a stimulatory effect on their growth and development. These recently acquired ecological functions are not yet fully understood, but point to the broader potential of using entomopathogenic endophytic fungi in crop production, not only as biopesticides but also as mycofungicides and growth stimulants (biostimulants). To achieve the full potential of entomopathogenic endophytic fungi in daily agricultural practice, practical application should be considered in the development of commercial products and the application techniques of entomopathogenic endophytic fungi that allow successful colonization of plants should be considered.

Keywords

• entomopathogenic fungi
• endophyte
• beneficial organisms
• bioinsecticides
• Beauveria
• Metarhizium