ABSTRACT
The prime objective of all the countries is to increase food production due to a significant rise in the world population, which is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050. It is estimated that annually the world population increases approximately 97 million, which has exerted high pressure on agriculture. The use of pesticides has become crucial in our modern life as revealed from the money spent on their usage globally—nearly $38 billion every year. Ideally, it is assumed that pesticides should be toxic to target organisms, biodegradable and eco-friendly in nature, but in some cases they are non-specific in nature. This has resulted in the death or elimination of various harmless organisms that are useful for the environment. The uses of pesticides have been associated with various chronic diseases in humans. Moreover, large-scale use of pesticides has led to various kinds of other problems in the ecosystem like the development of insect pest resistance. This kind of resistance has been reported in various insect species against some pesticides, for example organophosphates, cyclodiene, DDT, carbamates, fumigants and pyrethroids.
Consequently, there have been attempts to develop new eco-friendly biofertilizers with biodegradable and low toxicity properties. This has increased the interest of researchers in evaluating secondary metabolites of plants for insecticidal properties. The process of using natural enemies for controlling pest populations is known as biological control and includes vertebrates, nemathelminthes, arthropods, viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi. Biofertilizers are extremely important in integrated nutrient management that involves the use of plant nutrients to supplement agriculture by replacing chemical fertilizers. In order to achieve security of food for the increasing population and restoring the fertility of the soil, both biopesticides and biofertilizers play a crucial role and need further investigations to improve their quality.
