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The reduction of the use chemical pesticides in agriculture is gaining importance as an objective of decision-makers in both politics and economics. Consequently, the development of technically efficient and economically affordable alternatives as, e.g., biological control agents or practices is highly solicited. Crown gall disease of dicotyledonous plants is caused by ubiquitous soil borne pathogenic bacteria of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens species complex, that comprises the species Agrobacterium fabrum and represents a globally relevant plant protection problem. Within the framework of a screening program for bacterial Agrobacterium antagonists a total of 14 strains were isolated from Tunisian soil samples and assayed for antagonistic activity against pathogenic agrobacteria. One particularly promising isolate, termed strain MBY2, was studied more in depth. Using a Multilocus Sequence Analysis (MLSA) approach, the isolate was assigned to the taxonomic species Bacillus velezensis. Strain MBY2 was shown to display antagonistic effects against the pathogenic A. fabrum strain C58 in vitro and to significantly decrease pathogen populations under sterile and non-sterile soil conditions as well as in the rhizosphere of maize and, to a lower extent, tomato plants. Moreover, the ability of B. velezensis MBY2 to reduce C58-induced gall development has been demonstrated in vivo on stems of tomato and almond plants. The present study describes B. velezensis MBY2 as a newly discovered strain holding potential as a biological agent for crown gall disease management.

Sustainable development in global and regional contexts has become mandatory to prevent the potential adverse effects of human activities on the environment. While agricultural activities stand as the leading source of degradation and pollution in ecosystems, climate changes are among the most important challenges facing agricultural productivity. Climate-smart agriculture involves farming methods and strategies adopted for the early diagnosis and management of climate crisis drawbacks. Changing climatic conditions affect plant health either through abiotic or biotic factors that influence diverse disease scenarios on a wide range of crops. Therefore, disease management under the concerns of climate change is considered the cornerstone of sustainable agriculture. The climate-smart pest management (CSPM) concept and its role in supporting sustainable agricultural development, particularly the effect of weather changes on phytosanitary issues, are reviewed in this article. Problems in implementation and difficulties in decision-making are among the main challenges facing CSPM, which still has both technological and coordination shortcomings to overcome. Intensifying collaborative activities in scientific and technological research, risk assessment, and surveillance may enhance the current efficiency of CSPM in terms of preserving the sustainable development of agricultural systems. More efforts for capacity building are also needed in developing countries to promote the implementation and adoption of CSPM.

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