Role of microbial pesticides in pest control for lepidopteran: research status and prospect

Biotechnol Lett. 2025 Jun 30;47(4):71. doi: 10.1007/s10529-025-03613-4.

Abstract

Lepidoptera has caused huge economic losses to a variety of agricultural and forestry plants. The prevention and control measures of pests and diseases include agricultural, physical, chemical, and biological control. Microbial pesticides (including bacteria, fungi and viruses) were more and more widely used in the prevention and control of lepidopteran pests. They represent the development trend of the pesticide industry in the future and realize the sustainable control of major pests and diseases. As a novel strategy for pest control, a large number of microbial insecticides have been used in the actual production process. Although it has many advantages compared with chemical pesticides, it also has its own drawbacks. In the future, due to the search for new strategies, a variety of techniques are used in combination to form a large-scale application of microbial pesticide formulations, and continue to strengthen the application of microbial pesticides in the future lepidoptera pest control.

Keywords: Biocontrol; Bioformulation; Insect; Pest management.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacteria / metabolism
  • Biological Control Agents*
  • Fungi
  • Lepidoptera* / drug effects
  • Lepidoptera* / microbiology
  • Pest Control, Biological* / methods
  • Pesticides*

Substances

  • Pesticides
  • Biological Control Agents