This review summarizes current knowledge on direct mechanisms of actinobacteria and their metabolites, aiming to support the future application of actinobacteria and their metabolites as part of biological plant disease management strategies.
Abstract
Pre- and postharvest losses caused by fungal infections represent one of the greatest constraints in agricultural production worldwide. Due to increasingly stringent regulations, as well as environmental and health concerns associated with their use, synthetic fungicides have been restricted, driving the development and application of sustainable alternatives within the framework of integrated plant disease management. Among these, Actinobacteria (also referred to as Actinomycetota) have attracted considerable attention over the past decades due to their versatile metabolites and plant growth-promoting properties, supporting their potential application as bacterial biocontrol agents. Their activity against phytopathogenic fungi is largely associated with direct antagonistic mechanisms. Currently, special attention is paid to the excreted secondary metabolites, lytic enzymes, volatile organic compounds and their in vitro antifungal activity. Therefore, this review summarizes current knowledge on these direct mechanisms, aiming to support the future application of actinobacteria and their metabolites as part of biological plant disease management strategies.
Postharvest losses of horticultural produce, primarily due to microbial decay, remain a major challenge to global food security, accounting for 35–50% of production annually. To control this, overuse of synthetic fungicides has led to pathogen resistance, environmental contamination, and health concerns, prompting a shift toward sustainable biocontrol agents (BCAs). This review comprehensively examines the potential of microbial antagonists (yeasts, bacteria, and fungi), plant-based agents (essential oils and extracts), and natural compounds (e.g., chitosan, alginate, organic acids, etc.) for managing postharvest diseases in fruits and vegetables. Key mechanisms of action including competition for nutrients and space, production of antifungal metabolites and enzymes, biofilm formation, induction of host resistance, and volatile organic compounds are discussed in detail. Application strategies (pre- and postharvest), synergistic integrations with physical/chemical treatments, advantages over conventional pesticides, and major challenges (e.g., formulation stability, regulatory hurdles, and commercialization) are critically analyzed. Emerging approaches such as omics technologies, microbial consortia, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology offer promising avenues to enhance BCA efficacy and consistency. This review highlights successful examples and future perspectives of BCAs in postharvest diseases control setup and more importantly their co-applications together with other natural disease control methods and technologies. Finally, it underscores BCAs as viable, eco-friendly alternatives that can extend shelf life, preserve quality, and support sustainable postharvest management.
Esa Abiso Godana, Gerefa Sefu Edo, Sebahat Oztekin et al.· Frontiers in Nutrition· 0 citations
This review synthesizes current knowledge on the structural classes of plant-derived compounds and critically evaluates their applications as biocontrol agents against bacterial phytopathogens, highlighting their potential integration into sustainable resilience and global food security.
Adyasha Anapurba Sahoo, Sangeeta Raut, Aswinee Kumar Panda et al.· Journal of Crop Health· 0 citations
Filamentous fungi of the genus Trichoderma, commonly found in the rhizosphere, are a prevalent component of various soil ecosystem mycobiomes and are known for their ability to colonize plant roots. Understanding Trichoderma's characteristics, including its metabolic activity and interactions with plants and other microorganisms, is crucial for its effective application in agriculture. Interest in Trichoderma is growing due to its direct and indirect biocontrol capabilities against a wide spectrum of soil-borne phytopathogens. These fungi employ a range of complex mechanisms, such as mycoparasitism, degradation of pathogen cell walls, competition for nutrients and space, and activation of plant defence responses. Given the continuous threat posed to plants by various pathogens, particularly filamentous fungi, and the increasing resistance of these pathogens to chemical pesticides, there is a pressing need to develop alternative biological protection strategies. Among non-pathogenic microorganisms, Trichoderma stands out as a promising candidate for sustainable agricultural practices due to its extensive biofertilization and bio stimulatory properties. Most Trichoderma species function as plant growth-promoting fungi, capable of producing phytohormones and the enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase. This review consolidates current knowledge on the role of Trichoderma, emphasizing its significance in promoting plant growth and its effectiveness in the biocontrol of fungal phytopathogens.
S. Rana, V. Saini, Zehra Husaini et al.· Progressive Agriculture· 0 citations
Recent progress in genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics has substantially improved the understanding of Trichoderma–plant–pathogen interactions and revealed considerable strain-specific variation in biocontrol and plant growth-promoting traits.
Sidratul Muntaha Binta Anam Otithi, Md. Sohel Rana, M. Islam et al.· Plants· 0 citations
This review summarizes recent findings on the use and actual mechanisms of BCAs against the primary rice fungal pathogens, and discusses a variety of methods of application, like as foliar sprays, soil inoculation, and seed dressing, and focuses on the significance of developing stable and efficient formulations.
Fungal and oomycete plant pathogens are major drivers of yield losses worldwide and are spurring the search for sustainable alternatives to synthetic pesticides. Algae, in general, and microalgae, in particular, represent a promising source of bioactive compounds for crop protection. Despite this, their efficacy across different host–pathogen systems remains poorly characterised. This study evaluated the biocontrol potential of the aqueous extract of Chlorella sorokoniana against three economically important phytopathogens using complementary in vitro, ex vivo, and in planta assays. The strongest activity was observed against Magnaporthe oryzae, with the extract reducing fungal growth by approximately 70% in vitro, inhibiting appressorium formation by 55%, suppressing lesion development on detached rice leaves by more than 75%, and reducing rice blast severity by 64.5% as a preventive foliar treatment. In contrast, the extract showed little or no direct in vitro antifungal activity against Pythium ultimum and Rhizoctonia solani, yet it significantly reduced disease severity in planta by 13-37% and 48–55%, respectively. The contrasting responses among pathosystems suggest that C. sorokoniana aqueous extracts act through different mechanisms depending on the pathogen and the crop, combining direct antifungal activity against M. oryzae with plant-associated protective effects against soil-borne pathogens. These findings highlight the importance of evaluating candidate biocontrol products using complementary in vitro and in planta approaches, as laboratory antimicrobial assays alone may substantially underestimate their agricultural potential. The broad-spectrum protection achieved with an unrefined aqueous extract further supports C. sorokoniana as a promising source of sustainable crop protection products and provides a strong foundation for future mechanistic studies, formulation development, and field validation.
R. Ciubotaru, Miguel Claro, C. Viana et al.· bioRxiv· 0 citations
We use cookies to run the site and, with your consent, for analytics and to show ads.
See our Cookie Policy.
