Climate change has led to increased insect pests and pest distribution changes. Traditionally, chemical control using synthetic pesticides has been the main method for pest management, but the emergence of pesticide-resistant pests has become a problem. There is a need to develop new pest control agents to overcome these issues. Entomopathogenic fungi used in pest management have minimal environmental side effects and possess a mechanism of action distinct from that of synthetic pesticides. However, there is a need for the development of technologies to maximize the insecticidal effects of fungi against pests, and expressing and releasing dsRNA within the fungi can preemptively knock out the activation of the insect’s defense system, thereby enhancing the insecticidal effect. Controlling insect defense genes and using entomopathogenic fungi as bio-carriers forms a new pest management strategy. This approach, described as a “microbial insecticide agents development strategy of cassette concept, ” can versatilely modify genes and microbes. It is expected to overcome the limitations of synthetic pesticides.

• Se Jin Lee(Department of Agricultural Life Science, Sunchon National University)
• Tae Young Shin(Department of Agricultural Biology, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Jeonbuk National University)
• June-Sun Yoon(Department of Agricultural Convergence Technology, Jeonbuk National University)
• Hoe Ri Kim(Department of Plant Medicine, Sunchon National University)
• Hyun Wook Jung(Department of Plant Medicine, Sunchon National University)
• Da Hee Kim(Department of Plant Medicine, Sunchon National University)
• Seung Gyu Choe(Department of Plant Medicine, Sunchon National University)
• Jae Su Kim(Department of Agricultural Biology, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Jeonbuk National University, Department of Agricultural Convergence Technology, Jeonbuk National University)