Fungi as Biocontrol Agents of Insect and Mite Pests

Agricultural crops are vulnerable to attacks by various insect and mite pests. Research has demonstrated that these pests significantly impact the nutritional and economic value of agricultural outputs. As a result, the usage of chemical-based insecticides and acaricides emerged, leading to health and environmental concerns. Therefore, there is a need for the development and utilization of sustainable, eco-friendly methods to control insect and mite pests. To address this issue, the scientific and industrial communities have shown interest in developing and using biopesticides to control these pests. Amongst biopesticides a number of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) emerged as a viable option for managing insect and mite populations, despite some inherent limitations. In this chapter, we review the existing literature on EPF, their effectiveness against insect and mite pests, the advantages over chemical-based formulations, their mode of action, constraints, contemporary research to address these limits, and the fungal-based products already available in the market.