Alterations in microbial community structures and metabolic function in soil treated with biological and chemical insecticides.

Entomopathogenic fungi show significant promise as effective and ecological friendly alternatives to chemical insecticides for insect pest control. However, little is known concerning their effects on soil ecosystems, especially in comparison to application of chemical insecticides. Here, we examined the effects of one biological and two chemical insecticides, Metarhizium anisopliae, imidacloprid (IMI) and emamectin benzoate (EMB) on microbial community structure, metabolic functioning, and soil biochemistry.