Insect pests have been a serious problem over many years and remain a major threat for food production. Although chemical pesticides are major pest control strategies, use of microorganisms such as entomopathogenic bacteria, fungi, viruses and nematodes have continuously increase last few decades to minimize the use of agrichemicals. According to BBC research, the global biocontrol market was about $2.1 billion in 2011, and this is expected to rise $3 ~ 4 billion by 2017. Over 50 entomopathogens are commercially produced and used augmentatively as microbial pesticides. About 175 biopesticide active ingredients and 700 products have been registered worldwide. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium spp., nuclear polyhedrosis virus and Steinernema spp. are the most popular control agents used in plant protection. Among the microbial control agents Bt products have more than 50% of market share. In Korea, only 13 environmentally-friendly crop protectants were registered for insect pest control in 2015. Market share is very low and has grown slowly. We will discuss how we can expand the market with our techniques.

• Jeong Jun Kim(Agricultural Microbiology Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences)
• Ji Hee Han(Agricultural Microbiology Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences)
• Sang Yeob Lee(Agricultural Microbiology Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences)