the role of entomopathogenic fungi in agriculture

Entomopathogenic fungi are economically important fungi from environmental, agricultural, and human health perspectives. They are an alternative to chemical pesticides. They can also be used as biostimulants and biological control agents for mosquitoes.

Sunil K. Deshmukh (FMASc, FMSI, FABP, FSAB) has a PhD in Mycology from Dr. H.S. Gour University Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, India. He joined Hoechst Marion Roussel Ltd., Mumbai (1986-1998) as a Scientific Officer, later promoted to Sr. Research Scientist, later joined Piramal Enterprises Ltd., Mumbai as Sr. Group Leader, later promoted to Assistant Direct Natural Products (1998-2014) and Fellow and Area Convenor at The Energy and Resources Institute New Delhi (2015-2018), and Adjunct Associate Professor Deakin University Australia. He is a Scientific Advisor to Agpharm Bioinnovations LLP, Patiala, and Greenvention Biotech Pvt. Ltd., Pune. He has more than 155 peer-reviewed papers/ review articles/ book chapters and has presented numerous oral and poster presentations in over 100 meetings (both domestic and international). He has edited 23 books. He is a Review Editor for Frontiers in Microbiology, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Frontiers in Environmental Science and Associate Editor of MycoIndia. He is president of the Association of Fungal Biologists and past president of the Mycological Society of India (2017). He is a fellow of the Mycological Society of India, the Association of Biotechnology and Pharmacy, the Society for Applied Biotechnology, and the Fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Science. He is a reviewer for several journals: 3 Biotech, Photochemistry Reviews, Indian Journal of Microbiology, World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, Natural Product Research, and Marine Drugs.

Kandikere R. Sridhar is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biosciences at Mangalore University. He has served in academia for 45 years. His main area of research is ’Diversity and Ecology of Freshwater Fungi of the Western Ghats and Mangrove/Marine Habitats of the West Coast of India’. Dr. Sridhar was an NSERC postdoctoral fellow and visiting professor at Mount Allison University, Canada; the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and Martin Luther University, Germany; and the Centre of Biology, University of Minho, Portugal. He was conferred the Shome Memorial Award (2004), Vice President (2013), President (2018) and Lifetime Achievement Award (2019) by the Mycological Society of India. He was awarded a Fellow of the Indian Mycological Society, Kolkata (2014). The Asian Mycological Society has conferred on him the title of Distinguished Asian Mycologist (2015). The Association of Agricultural Technology of Southeast Asia, Thailand, awarded him Outstanding Leader in Education and Research (2016). His contributions over the last 45 years have elevated him to the top 2% of world scientists in the field of mycology, according to a Stanford University, USA survey. Dr. Sridhar is serving as a visiting professor at the Department of Agricultural Technology, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology, Bangkok. He has published over 500 research articles, reviewed over 170 research papers, 25 project proposals and 10 book proposals. He is on the editorial board of several national and international journals. He has edited 14 books.