Agro-processing Residues for the Production of Fungal Bio-control Agents

Abstract

Environmentally sustainable and cost-effective alternatives for the control of plant pathogens and plant pests are required in the current scenario because of the development of agrochemical resistance in targeted pathogens, as well as the negative impacts of chemical pesticides on public health and the environment. Therefore, biological control agents (BCAs), such as fungi, are an attractive input to replace hazardous pesticides and offer great potential for field application. Agro-industrial bioprocessing generates large quantities of waste, such as straw, pulp, leaves, husk, and bagasse, which poses serious environmental problems worldwide. Effective use, added value, and bioconversion of these materials via bio treatment for the production of fungal BCA have received considerable attention in recent years. Many researchers have succeeded in using cheap agro-residues for the mass production of fungal biological control agents, mainly using SSF technology. The fermented substrate can be used directly for field application and the difficulties with downstream processing and product formulation are excluded. Among the microorganisms present in the rhizosphere, Beauveria bassiana, Verticillium lecanii, Metarhizium anisopliae, Paecilomyces spp., Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma viride, Trichoderma asperellum, Trichoderma virens, etc. are the most commonly used fungal biological control agents. Coffee husk is reported to be an excellent agricultural residue for the growth of Trichoderma spp. and Paecilomyces spp. Many aspects of the use of agricultural by-products in solid-state fermentation remain to be exploited for the production of bioactive compounds, green chemicals, biopesticides, etc., as well as for the development of more economically feasible processes.