Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LIX
Written by Ramazan CANHILAL
A chemical method called fumigation is mainly applied to control of stored product pests in the world and in Turkey. The alteration of natural balance among living organisms, the resistance of pests for pesticides, and residues on crops are produced by application of pesticides widely. Nowadays, incremental necessity has been occurred to find out alternatives to chemicals. Biological control is a novel method to replace chemicals. Insect pathogens which kill insects causing disease are agents such as bacteria, fungi, nematodes, viruses, protozoa. The mass of entomopathogenic bacteria are in genera Coccobacillus and Bacillus. Coccobacillus acridiorum produced disease in grasshoppers. Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus popillia are important disease causing agents against lepidopteran pests. Entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Verticillium lecanii cause disease on larger insects than other pathogens. These are rather prevalent on the insects in orders Lepidoptera, Homoptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. Insects, especially living in soil at one of its life cycle such as larva, pupa or adult are highly susceptible against entomopathogenic nematodes. Neosteinernematidae, Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae are the families containing these nematodes. They are obligatory insect pathogens in nature. Entomopathogenic nematodes impacts many insect species with a broad host range. Entomopathogenic viruses at least 16 families are very important in biological control to affect insects pests. Baculoviruses are produced commercially and applied as a biological control agent to manage significant agricultural and forestry insects, especially in Orders Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. Entomopathogenic protozoans such as Nosema locusta are a substantial role in the ecologically management of populations of insect pests. In this review, application and potentials of entomopathogens as biological control agents of insect species harmful on stored products has been abstracted.
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