Entomopathogenic Fungi: An Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Sustainable Nanoparticles and Their Nanopesticide Properties

Abstract

The agricultural industry could undergo significant changes due to the revolutionary potential of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has a broad range of possible applications and advantages, including insect pest management using treatments based on nanoparticle insecticides. Conventional techniques, such as integrated pest management, are inadequate, and using chemical pesticides has negative consequences. As a result, nanotechnology would provide ecologically beneficial and effective alternatives for insect pest control. Considering the remarkable traits they exhibit, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are recognized as potential prospects in agriculture. Due to their efficiency and great biocompatibility, the utilization of biologically synthesized nanosilver in insect pest control has significantly increased nowadays. Silver nanoparticles have been produced using a wide range of microbes and plants, which is considered an environmentally friendly method. However, among all, entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) have the most potential to be used in the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles with a variety of properties. Therefore, in this review, different ways to get rid of agricultural pests have been discussed, with a focus on the importance and growing popularity of biosynthesized nanosilver, especially silver nanoparticles made from fungi that kill insects. Finally, the review highlights the need for further studies so that the efficiency of bio-nanosilver could be tested for field application and the exact mode of action of silver nanoparticles against pests can be elucidated, which will eventually be a boon to the agricultural industry for putting a check on pest populations.

The effect of chitin on the effectiveness of Beauveria bassiana formulation product to control cocoa pod borer in vitro

“…Entomopathogenic fungal genera used as biopesticides include Metarhizium, Beauveria, Isaria, Lecanicillium, Hirsutella, and Paecilomyces. Since these fungi have a wide range of applications, their characteristic can be applied to kill a wide range of insect pests (Bamisile et al, 2021;Bihal et al, 2023;Litwin et al, 2020). Beauveria bassiana was among the initial entomopathogenic fungi to be effectively employed for insect pest mycobiocontrol (Kidanu, 2020), commonly found in soil (Litwin et al, 2020) and has been isolated from infected insects in temperate and tropical locations worldwide (Bamisile et al, 2021).…”

Multifunctional Nanoprobe Au@Gd-SiO2-HA-Lyp-1/DOX with Dual-Targeting Functions Derived from HA and LyP-1: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Potential for Tumor Lymphatic Metastasis

“…10 Nanotechnology has revolutionized the possibilities for diagnosing and treating tumors, with a special focus on multifunctional nanoprobes. 11 In our previous publications, we summarized the behavior of nanoparticles and proposed design guidelines for their application in cancer diagnosis and treatment (doi: 10.1021/accountsmr.2c00147; doi: 10.1063/ 5.0061530). These guidelines emphasize the importance of considering biocompatibility, target specificity, and therapeutic efficiency when designing nanoparticles.…”

Impact of Two Lavender Extracts on Silver Nanoparticle Synthesis, and the Study of Nanoparticles’ Antibiofilm Properties and Their Ability to Transfer them into a Nontoxic Polymer

“…The use of biological synthesis for the preparation of AgNPs from plant sources opens new perspectives in the field of green and sustainable technologies [20,21]. Intensive studies centered around the production of various types of nanoparticles are currently underway.…”