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Microbial Biopesticides: Development and Application

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Microbial Technology for Sustainable Environment

Abstract

Application of bio-based pesticides has been a growing trend in organic agriculture globally. The use of natural or genetically modified microorganisms as biopesticides can be considered as an effective and sustainable approach in disease control. The discovery and the development of a microbial biopesticide is a process of two major phases consisting experimental component and commercialization of the product. The experimental component begins with the field collection of the potential microbial samples and isolation of potential microbes and to evaluate their bio-control efficiency. Once a potential candidate microorganism is selected for the production of biopesticides, the candidate should be accurately identified and characterized. Genetic modifications can be done to improve the efficiency of the organism. The commercialization of the product includes mass production, formulation, and field testing and safety evaluation. Finally, a biopesticide can be registered and introduced to the market upon the completion of safety evaluation and regulatory approval. This chapter summarizes the discovery and development of biopesticides with special reference to nematophagous fungi and their applications.

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Correspondence to Dimuthu S. Manamgoda .

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Mandakini, H.T., Manamgoda, D.S. (2021). Microbial Biopesticides: Development and Application. In: Bhatt, P., Gangola, S., Udayanga, D., Kumar, G. (eds) Microbial Technology for Sustainable Environment. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3840-4_10

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