ABSTRACT
Insect pathogenic fungi have considerable potential for the biological control of insect pests of plants. These fungi are widely distributed through the fungal kingdom (Eumycota), although the majority of those classified occur in the Deuteromycotina and Zygomycotina. 1 Many attempts have been made to exploit the Deuteromycotina fungi Metarhizium anisopliae, Beauveria spp., Aschersonia aleyrodis, Verticillium lecanii, Nomuraea rileyi and some Entomophthorales for insect control, and at present fungi are being used on a moderate scale in Brazil, China and Russia. 2 Small amounts of V lecanii and B. bassiana are sold in Europe for pest control and M. flavoviride is being field-tested in Africa for control of locusts and grasshoppers. 3 A number of factors currently limit the full exploitation of entomopathogenic fungi, one of which is our poor understanding of the biochemistry and molecular biology of fungal pathogenesis. Progress in this area will help the production of more efficient mycoinsecticides either by identifying those attributes which should be selected for in a development program, or by identifying genes which could be up-regulated or otherwise manipulated to enhance virulence. This chapter reviews the latest developments in our understanding of the biochemistry and cell and molecular biology of fungal pathogenesis in insects with particular focus on Metarhizium anisopliae.
