Biological Control Agents in Organic Farming Systems: Current Status, Ecological Engineering, and Future Perspectives

Abstract

The increasing demand for residue-free food, coupled with the adverse environmental impacts of synthetic pesticides, has accelerated the global transition toward organic farming systems. Biological control has emerged as a cornerstone of organic agriculture by utilizing living organisms and their products to suppress insect pests, plant pathogens, and weeds while maintaining ecological balance. This chapter provides a comprehensive synthesis of the principles, evolution, and current status of biological control in organic farming, with particular emphasis on predators, parasitoids, entomopathogenic microorganisms, and entomopathogenic nematodes. Recent advances in microbial biopesticides, including Bacillus thuringiensis, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Lecanicillium lecanii, insect-specific viruses, and beneficial nematodes, have substantially expanded the scope of environmentally benign pest management. The chapter further highlights conservation biological control through ecological engineering practices such as flowering strips, banker plants, habitat diversification, cover crops, and reduced pesticide use, which enhance natural enemy abundance and ecosystem resilience. Commercialization, quality assurance, and successful implementation of biological control programs are discussed with reference to notable case studies from India and other countries. The challenges associated with environmental variability, host specificity, mass production, formulation stability, regulatory constraints, and farmer adoption are critically examined. Emerging technologies including molecular biology, microbiome engineering, artificial intelligence, precision agriculture, remote sensing, and RNA interference are reshaping the future of biological control and improving its integration into sustainable crop production systems.