Itamar Glazer, 
Zvi Mendel, 
Dana Ment

Israeli agriculture is highly intensive, and cultivation practices consist of modern technologies and high-yield crops. However, the rapid development has brought with it extensive usage of synthetic pesticides. These circumstances require increasing efforts to employ biopesticides, specifically microbial control agents (MCAs), to encourage agriculture systems with minimal synthetic pesticide use. Over the years, MCAs use has increased, particularly in the entomopathogenic bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis against Lepidopteran pests since the late 1960s. The use of other MCAs, such as entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi, is steadily growing. However, the pace is still unsatisfactory, and at present, these biopesticides are commercially integrated into the management schemes of a limited number of crops. Efforts are being deployed now to increase MCA efficacy and field performance by formulation technologies. Several well-known MCAs were developed in Israel, such as Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) against mosquitos discovered and first studied in Israel, the yeast Metschnikowia fructicola formulated as a preventive measure against postharvest fruit diseases, and Bacillus firmus to cope with the root-knot nematodes. These products are currently in use worldwide. This chapter provides a historical and current description of the development and use of MCAs with prospects of the future expansion of their utilization in Israel.