Management of plant pathogens with microorganisms

Abstract

Biological control has become an attractive alternative strategy for the control of plant diseases to reduce the excessive use of agrochemicals and its health hazards. There are various naturally occurring soil microbes that aggressively attack on plant pathogens and benefit plants by disease suppression and hence referred to as biocontrol agents. Besides this, biocontrol agents also help in controlling insect pests and weeds. Among the variety of biological control agents available for use, screening of potent biocontrol agents is necessary for their further development and commercialization. Biocontrol agents comprise of multiple beneficial characters such as rhizosphere competence, antagonistic potential, and ability to produce antibiotics, lytic enzymes and toxins. These biological control activities are exerted either directly through antagonism of soil-borne pathogens or indirectly by eliciting a plant-mediated resistance response. The mechanisms of biocontrol involve antibiosis, parasitism, competition for nutrients and space, cell wall degradation by lytic enzymes and induced disease resistance. Many researches have been conducted on various aspects of biological control but we need to look still forward to carry out new researches to facilitate new biocontrol technologies and applications by improving the efficacy of biocontrol agents and their biocontrol potential. The present article focuses on an overview of biological control including its history, screening, modes of actions, enhancement of biocontrol potential and application under field conditions to manage important diseases of crops. © Printed in India.