Entomopathogenic fungi: insights into recent understanding

Abstract

Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are cosmopolitan, obligate, or facultative pathogens that show ruthless aggression toward various insects and ultimately cause them to die. They also have the ability to colonize and establish symbiotic relationships with plants as endophytes, thus offering a number of benefits to the host plants, inducing plant resistance against a number of biotic and abiotic stresses, and growth promotion. Recently, considerable attention has been paid to this group of fungi, mainly due to their exceptional ability to control numerous arthropod pests in crops. This practical application of EPF, which is of great interest, offers an eco-friendly manner of pest control, a key feature that makes them a potential solution to growing environmental concerns. This eco-friendly nature of EPF is particularly significant in the current context of growing environmental concerns and the need for sustainable solutions. This paper has attempted to review our current understanding of EPF. First, we briefly describe the historical identifications of EPF, landmark studies, and their classifications. Second, we discuss the group from an evolutionary standpoint. Third, the insect infection mechanisms, particularly the cuticular penetration pathway and different steps, are discussed. Finally, we emphasize the eco-friendly nature of these fungi, which makes them a sustainable option to mitigate the devastating effects of insect pests in current agriculture systems.

Keywords: Cuticular penetration; Epizootics; Host specificity; Insect associated fungi; Sustainable agriculture.