How Microbiome Approaches Can Assist Industrial Development of Biological Control Products

Abstract

The excessive application of synthetic pesticides and agrochemicals during the last decades has caused serious environmental as well as health problems. Therefore, new and safer methods are needed to replace existing pathogen control strategies and to ensure food production in the twenty-first century. The application of microbial antagonists is a highly promising alternative to chemical pesticides to control pests and plant diseases. Here, the versatility of applicable microorganisms plays an important role and facilitates the transition to a more sustainable agriculture. Although such biocontrol agents have been developed and continuously improved for more than 80 years, the integration of microbiome studies provides a toolbox for advanced products with improved efficiency. This chapter presents different examples for the implementation of microbiome-based BCA developments and various strategies that can be used for existing and future product optimization approaches. Next-generation DNA sequencing allows detailed analyses in complex systems by culture-independent methods and thus allows to address various process steps of product implementation. With these methods, community-level effects can be assessed to analyse differences in community structures induced by different application methods, different environmental factors, and between different host states. Moreover, microbiome studies can be implemented at various stages of product development, from screening for new candidates in their natural environment to risk assessments that are required for their registration.