Narendra Kumar Ahirwar and Ravindra Singh
To meet the rising food demands of an expanding global population, there has been a surge in the use of synthetic insecticides to control pests and enhance crop yield and production. Nonetheless, we cannot overlook the adverse effects of these synthetic insecticides on humans, livestock, and the environment. This review focuses on presenting information on specific species of entomopathogenic fungi that hold potential for development into bioinsecticides, offering an alternative to synthetic insecticides. The assessment of these fungi is based on their effectiveness in managing targeted pests and their safety concerning humans, non-targeted organisms, and the environment. We have compiled data and information on these fungi from various research sources like Google Scholar, NCBI, Science Direct, and ResearchGate for comparative analysis. Six entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Verticillium lecanii, Nomuraea rileyi, Paecilomyces fumosoroseus formerly known as [Isaria fumosorosea], and Hirsutella thompsonii, are identified as promising candidates for pest control due to their ability to produce toxins or metabolites with insecticidal properties. B. bassiana, M. anisopliae, V. lecanii, and N. rileyi, out of the mentioned six species, are proven to be safe for humans, non-targeted organisms, and the environment. Moreover, all these fungi can be produced on a large scale, ensuring their availability for use as biocontrol agents. However, additional research is needed to fully understand the potential environmental impacts and the harmful metabolites they may produce.