Harnessing Microbial Antagonists for Biological Control of Plant Pathogens: A Global Perspective
Santhoshinii Elango *
Department of Plant Pathology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka- 580005, India.
Yumkhaibam Sonia Shahni
School of Agricultural Science, SAS. Nagaland University, India.
Rajkumari Padamini
Plant Protection, MTTC VTC College of Community Science, Central Agricultural University, Imphal, India.
Sanjay Hazarika
Department of Entomology, AAU-Jorhat Assam, India.
R. Wongamthing
Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur-680656, India.
Sourav Oraon
Department of Plant Pathology, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal, Pin - 741252, India.
Chandan Kumar Panigrahi
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan, Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar - 751003, Odisha, India.
Anil Kumar
P.G. Department of Chemistry, Sahibganj College Sahibganj -816109, Jharkhand, India.
R. Thangaraj
Department of Microbiology, Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal College, Sivakasi, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Reducing agricultural production inputs while maintaining a lucrative yield of high-quality goods is becoming more and more necessary as a result of the global sustainability agenda. Plant diseases pose a significant threat to productivity and product quality, yet many times there are no adequate measures available to control them. Consequently, research on substitute methods of crop protection has been mandated and has garnered significant interest from scholars around. A number of biological control agents (BCAs), including Bacillus, Pantoea, Streptomyces, Trichoderma, Clonostachys, Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, and specific yeasts, have been screened. Of these alternatives, biological controls through beneficial microorganisms have gained significant importance. BCAs, at the very least, support other sustainable disease management strategies like disease resistance and offer chances to control illnesses for whom alternative strategies are unfeasible or unobtainable. It is reasonable to anticipate that BCAs will be used more often to manage agricultural diseases in environmentally friendly ways.
Keywords: Plant diseases, biological control agents, antagonist, sustainable disease control, augmentation