About this Research Topic
Fungi that cause disease in insects typically find their hosts among other insects.
These fungi are a useful tool in biologically-based pest management strategies, as it is known that interactions between fungi and insects can drive pathogenic cycles, which typically result in the death of the hosts. Although the broad mechanisms underlying this interaction have been understood for a considerable amount of time, many specific aspects at the molecular level continue to be mysterious and unknown. On the other hand, these fungi can function in the soil and/or the rhizosphere as facultative saprophytes. Some invertebrate-pathogenic fungi live within plants as endophytes and participate in a mutualistic relationship with the plant, which increases the plant's resistance to herbivores and pathogens. Although the precise mechanisms by which these fungi provide systemic protection against arthropod pests and plant diseases are misunderstood, some hypothesize that the suppression of pests and diseases is due to the production of toxic and secondary metabolites by the fungi. Despite of this, the colonization of endophytes by endophytic fungi might prove to be an effective indirect method for the biological control of insect pests.
In this Research Topic, we will be concentrating on the biological, biochemical, and molecular interactions that take place between invertebrate- pathogenic fungi and the diverse array of hosts that they can infect, such as plants and arthropods.
This topic aims to answer key questions on entomopathogenic fungi in pollution-free agriculture, such as the following:
1) What are the toxic chemical constituents secreted by the entomopathogenic fungi during the pathogenicity?
2) What is the mode of action of entomopathogenic fungi on insect pests?
3) What are the advantages of using entomopathogenic fungi?
4) What are the toxic effects of fungal volatile organic compounds (VOCs)?
5) What are the types of entomopathogenic fungi infections?
6) What is entomopathogenic fungi diversity?
7) How do host immune response and pathogens interact?
8) What are the actor’s influencing the efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi?
9) What are the environmental factors that affect entomopathogenic fungi?
10) What are the application methods and timing of entomopathogenic fungi?
11) What are the limitations and challenges of entomopathogenic fungi?
12) What are the future perspectives and research directions of entomopathogenic fungi-based microbial pesticides?
The answers to these questions will help to understand the role of entomopathogenic fungi in sustainable agriculture, mode of action, biochemical response in insect pests, toxic secondary metabolites, non-target efficacy, and stability.
Submissions should cover the latest research focused (but not limited to) on entomopathogenic fungi against insect pests. Research including, but not limited to:
- Isolation, identification, characterization of entomopathogenic fungi and their virulence against insect pests as well as plant pathogenic microbes.
- Mode of action of entomopathogenic fungi on insect pests.
- Entomopathogenic fungi induce biochemical responses in insect pests.
- Formulation and field evaluation of entomopathogenic fungi.
- Secondary metabolites extraction from entomopathogenic fungi and their toxicity against insect pests and plant pathogens.
- Non-target efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi under laboratory and field level application.
- Role of entomopathogenic fungi-based microbial insecticide in pest management.
- Stability of entomopathogenic fungi in soil condition.
These fungi are a useful tool in biologically-based pest management strategies, as it is known that interactions between fungi and insects can drive pathogenic cycles, which typically result in the death of the hosts. Although the broad mechanisms underlying this interaction have been understood for a considerable amount of time, many specific aspects at the molecular level continue to be mysterious and unknown. On the other hand, these fungi can function in the soil and/or the rhizosphere as facultative saprophytes. Some invertebrate-pathogenic fungi live within plants as endophytes and participate in a mutualistic relationship with the plant, which increases the plant's resistance to herbivores and pathogens. Although the precise mechanisms by which these fungi provide systemic protection against arthropod pests and plant diseases are misunderstood, some hypothesize that the suppression of pests and diseases is due to the production of toxic and secondary metabolites by the fungi. Despite of this, the colonization of endophytes by endophytic fungi might prove to be an effective indirect method for the biological control of insect pests.
In this Research Topic, we will be concentrating on the biological, biochemical, and molecular interactions that take place between invertebrate- pathogenic fungi and the diverse array of hosts that they can infect, such as plants and arthropods.
This topic aims to answer key questions on entomopathogenic fungi in pollution-free agriculture, such as the following:
1) What are the toxic chemical constituents secreted by the entomopathogenic fungi during the pathogenicity?
2) What is the mode of action of entomopathogenic fungi on insect pests?
3) What are the advantages of using entomopathogenic fungi?
4) What are the toxic effects of fungal volatile organic compounds (VOCs)?
5) What are the types of entomopathogenic fungi infections?
6) What is entomopathogenic fungi diversity?
7) How do host immune response and pathogens interact?
8) What are the actor’s influencing the efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi?
9) What are the environmental factors that affect entomopathogenic fungi?
10) What are the application methods and timing of entomopathogenic fungi?
11) What are the limitations and challenges of entomopathogenic fungi?
12) What are the future perspectives and research directions of entomopathogenic fungi-based microbial pesticides?
The answers to these questions will help to understand the role of entomopathogenic fungi in sustainable agriculture, mode of action, biochemical response in insect pests, toxic secondary metabolites, non-target efficacy, and stability.
Submissions should cover the latest research focused (but not limited to) on entomopathogenic fungi against insect pests. Research including, but not limited to:
- Isolation, identification, characterization of entomopathogenic fungi and their virulence against insect pests as well as plant pathogenic microbes.
- Mode of action of entomopathogenic fungi on insect pests.
- Entomopathogenic fungi induce biochemical responses in insect pests.
- Formulation and field evaluation of entomopathogenic fungi.
- Secondary metabolites extraction from entomopathogenic fungi and their toxicity against insect pests and plant pathogens.
- Non-target efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi under laboratory and field level application.
- Role of entomopathogenic fungi-based microbial insecticide in pest management.
- Stability of entomopathogenic fungi in soil condition.
Keywords: Entomopathogenic Fungi, Insect-Plant Interaction, Secondary Metabolites, Endophytic Fungi, Biological Control
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
