Current Strategies in Pest Control Using Biological Agents

Abstract

Agricultural pests are defined as animals that cause damage and death to crop plants. In recent decades, there has been an increase in the number of pests, including aphids, beetles and locusts, resulting in significant crop losses. Consequently, contemporary agriculture is increasingly reliant on efficacious and secure crop protection products.

While various methods of pest control exist, both chemical and biological, it is the former that is more commonly used in practice. These chemical insecticides can exist in a variety of aggregate states (liquid or solid) and are both fast-acting and affordable. However, their significant disadvantage is their ability to accumulate in plants, which can negatively affect the health of consumers.

Consequently, there has been a surge in the development of biological plant protection products, which exhibit a milder and safer action profile. One such agent is a bacterial insecticide based on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This microorganism was first isolated by Berliner in 1915 from dead caterpillars of the miller's fireweed. Subsequent research revealed that the Bt exotoxin (phospholipase C) is responsible for the death of insects, and that its endotoxin, initially non-toxic, is activated in the digestive tract of insects by the action of alkaline proteases and transformed into an active toxin.

Bt insecticides are selective and effective against various pests such as caterpillars, mosquitoes and midges. Due to their targeted activity and environmental safety, Bacillus thuringiensis-based formulations are widely used in biological plant protection. Subsequent reports will address contemporary methodologies for pest management that exhibit high efficiency while causing minimal harm to the environment and human health.