Entomopathogenic Fungi as Orchestrators of Plant Defense, Growth, and Stress Tolerance—A Comprehensive Review

IF 3.3 4区生物学 Q2 MICROBIOLOGY

Journal of Basic Microbiology Pub Date : 2026-02-25 DOI:10.1002/jobm.70161

Yamini Rajendran, Shanmugam Pagalahalli Sankaran, Murugan Marimuthu, Tariq M. Butt, Geetha Nandagopal, Wanissa Mellikeche, Jeyarani Subramanian, Raghu Rajasekaran, Marimuthu Subramanian

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), including Beauveria spp., Metarhizium spp., Lecanicillium spp., and Isaria spp., help manage pest populations through direct infestation and insecticidal toxin production. Beyond pest control, they enhance plant growth and overall health, which makes them essential components of sustainable agriculture. EPF orchestrates systemic acquired resistance (SAR) and induced systemic resistance (ISR) via salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) signalling pathways, respectively. Through these mechanisms, EPF promotes plant resilience against both biotic (pathogens and pests) and abiotic stresses (drought, nutrients, heat, and salinity), while improving nutrient uptake, hormone production, and soil quality. In addition, the secondary metabolites produced by EPF strengthen plant defense and stress tolerance. Their ability to persist as endophytes ensures long-term crop protection and growth stimulation. Incorporating EPF into Integrated pest management as a biocontrol agent reduces the reliance on chemical pesticides, enhances plant resistance, and supports environmental sustainability. This review examines the multifaceted contributions of EPF as a bioinoculant that promotes crop health and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and discusses the prospects for large-scale commercial applications.

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昆虫病原真菌作为植物防御、生长和抗逆性的协调者——综述。

昆虫病原真菌（EPF），包括白僵菌属、绿僵菌属、Lecanicillium属和Isaria属，通过直接侵染和产生杀虫毒素来帮助控制害虫种群。除防治病虫害外，它们还能促进植物生长和整体健康，这使它们成为可持续农业的重要组成部分。EPF分别通过水杨酸（SA）和茉莉酸（JA）信号通路调控系统性获得性耐药（SAR）和诱导系统性耐药（ISR）。通过这些机制，EPF促进植物抵御生物（病原体和害虫）和非生物胁迫（干旱、养分、热量和盐度），同时改善养分吸收、激素产生和土壤质量。此外，EPF产生的次生代谢产物增强了植物的防御能力和抗逆性。它们作为内生菌持续存在的能力确保了长期的作物保护和生长刺激。将EPF作为生物防治剂纳入病虫害综合管理，减少对化学农药的依赖，增强植物抗性，并支持环境的可持续性。本文综述了EPF作为一种促进作物健康和对生物和非生物胁迫的耐受性的生物孕育剂的多方面贡献，并讨论了大规模商业应用的前景。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Basic Microbiology 生物-微生物学

CiteScore

6.10

自引率

0.00%

发文量

134

审稿时长

1.8 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Basic Microbiology (JBM) publishes primary research papers on both procaryotic and eucaryotic microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, protozoans, phages, viruses, viroids and prions. Papers published deal with: microbial interactions (pathogenic, mutualistic, environmental), ecology, physiology, genetics and cell biology/development, new methodologies, i.e., new imaging technologies (e.g. video-fluorescence microscopy, modern TEM applications) novel molecular biology methods (e.g. PCR-based gene targeting or cassettes for cloning of GFP constructs).