Biological Control of Plant Pathogens: A Global Perspective

Abstract

The increase in the world population has generated an important need for both quality and quantity agricultural products, which has led to a significant surge in the use of chemical pesticides to fight crop diseases. Consumers, however, have become very concerned in recent years over the side effects of chemical fungicides on human health and the environment. As a result, research into alternative solutions to protect crops has been imposed and attracted wide attention from researchers worldwide. Among these alternatives, biological controls through beneficial microorganisms have gained considerable importance, whilst several biological control agents (BCAs) have been screened, among them Bacillus, Pantoea, Streptomyces, Trichoderma, Clonostachys, Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, and certain yeasts. At present, biopesticide products have been developed and marketed either to fight leaf diseases, root diseases, or fruit storage diseases. However, no positive correlation has been observed between the number of screened BCAs and available marketed products. Therefore, this review emphasizes the development of biofungicides products from screening to marketing and the problems that hinder their development. Finally, particular attention was given to the gaps observed in this sector and factors that hamper its development, particularly in terms of efficacy and legislation procedures.

Environmentally Friendly Wheat Farming: Biological and Economic Efficiency of Three Treatments to Control Fungal Diseases in Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under Field Conditions

“…Nevertheless, the use of only biopesticides is not ample to obtain higher crop productivity due to the complexity of the rhizosphere and the need to apply a high amount of these bioagents to cover the whole rhizosphere [26]. Lahlali et al (2022) [27] reported that the use of bioagents in crop protection systems is not always efficient to control plant pathogens. The authors explained their approach by the presence of several factors affecting the success of biological control against plant pathogens, such as the lack of studies under field conditions and the resistance of fungal pathogens to biofungicides.…”

Advances and Perspectives in the Use of Biocontrol Agents against Fungal Plant Diseases

“…Due to the growing importance of the biocontrol means, currently, several biocontrol agents are available on the market in the European Community, and others are in the evaluation stage for their approval by the EC authorities [152].…”

Application Potential of Bacterial Volatile Organic Compounds in the Control of Root-Knot Nematodes

“…The strategies of biological control can be classified into conservation, importation, and augmentation according to the source of the deployed organisms [ 59 ]. The conservation strategy is carried out to maintain the existing natural enemies in an environment; the importation strategy is carried out to introduce exotic enemies of the pests where they do not occur naturally; and the augmentation strategy is carried out to release reared natural enemies periodically into the habitat where the pests occur [ 60 , 61 ].…”