Challenges and future needs of incorporating microbial pesticides in IPM

There has been a steady growth of the microbial pesticide market in the United States. While the continued focus on sustainable crop production and availability of multiple microbial pesticides contributed to their increased awareness and use, the agricultural community is still skeptical about them. Recent surveys conducted in California and Oregon, where numerous specialty crops are produced and the value of agriculture is about $64 billion, indicated varying levels of awareness and experience about microbial pesticides. Those who use these products seem to be fairly satisfied, but some of the concerns are about their efficacy, cost, speed of control, and others compared to synthetic pesticides. These surveys and numerous conversations with growers, researchers, and biopesticide manufacturers in other parts of the United States suggested that more education is necessary for effectively using microbial products in IPM programs. There are several opportunities for researchers, extension educators, and biopesticide industry partners to collaborate with the grower community to develop and deliver effective IPM strategies that take advantage of microbial control.