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Agriculture
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Biological Control Strategies for Fungal Plant Pathogens
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Biological Control Strategies for Fungal Plant Pathogens

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 15339

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francesco Lops

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Science of Agriculture, Food and Environment (SAFE), University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Interests: defense of mediterranean fruit trees: integrated control in the fight against pathogenic fungi; study and application of innovative products in the protection of crops from parasitic adversities; reports and observations of new phytopathogenic agents; epidemiological investigations and tests of struggle on some olive pathogens; interaction studies host-pathogen interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Antonia Carlucci

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sciences of Agriculture, Food and Environment (SAFE), University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Interests: mycologia; fungal genetics; fungal taxonomy; plant pathology; wood pathogens; horticultural pathogens; fungal biodiversity; antagonistic microrganisms; crop protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Plant pathogens cause severe losses and damage to crops around the world, and thus significantly reduce the quality and quantity of agricultural products. Furthermore, in countries where the pedoclimatic conditions make the management of diseases extremely difficult with the use of preventive measures alone, it is necessary to identify new strategies, in order to be able to support organic farmers in the management of fungal plant diseases. The phytosanitary defense in organic agriculture represents one of the most delicate elements, also considering that the technical means available are relatively few and do not guarantee the same effectiveness as the chemical products normally used in conventional agriculture.

The biological control approaches for plant diseases include the reduction of the amount or effect of pathogens through different mechanisms of action, such as: competition (for space; for C, N, or mineral sources), antibiosis (antibiotics, volatile compounds (ammonia, cyanide, alcohols, esters, ketones, etc.), enzymes), hyperparasitism, cross protection, resistance induction, and growth improvement. With the objective of a more effective control of diseases, it is agreed that improving the performance of selected antagonists is a main goal.

The natural enemy of the target pathogen is also known as a biological control agent (BCA). BCAs cause no harm to the environment, and new legislative registrations to restrict the use of existing commercial chemical pesticides are an incentive for the development and registration of new biopesticides. The fields of application are vast, from strictly agricultural environments to forest-ornamental ones, up to protected ones (greenhouses, tunnels) where, due to the very conformation of the environment, the best results are obtained.

Dr. Francesco Lops
Dr. Antonia Carlucci
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biocontrol agents
  • disease control
  • fungicides
  • plant diseases
  • plant pathogens
  • disease management
  • microorganisms
  • biological control
  • pathogenic fungi

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2202 KiB  
Article
Influence of Biocontrol and Integrated Strategies and Treatment Timing on Plum Brown Rot Incidence and Fungicide Residues in Fruits
by Davide Palmieri, Giuseppe Ianiri, Thomas Conte, Raffaello Castoria, Giuseppe Lima and Filippo De Curtis
Agriculture 2022, 12(10), 1656; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12101656 - 10 Oct 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2565
Abstract
Brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. is the main disease of stone fruits. Our research aimed to identify an appropriate strategy to control plum brown rot and reduce fungicides residues in fruit through targeted application of the biocontrol agents (BCAs) Papiliotrema terrestris and [...] Read more.
Brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. is the main disease of stone fruits. Our research aimed to identify an appropriate strategy to control plum brown rot and reduce fungicides residues in fruit through targeted application of the biocontrol agents (BCAs) Papiliotrema terrestris and Bacillus subtilis, alone or in combination with synthetic fungicides. The following treatments were evaluated: Biological (BIO1, BIO2), Integrated (INT1, INT2, INT3), and Combined (COMB), all compared with Chemical strategy. Five key treatments (seven for BIO2) were performed in the crucial phenological stages for the disease cycle: INT1, INT2, and INT3 approaches consisted, from the beginning of the season, of one, two, or three treatments, respectively, alternately with boscalid or cyprodinil followed by applications of BCA until the fruit harvest. After harvest, plums were subjected to an additional treatment with the two BCAs and the fruits were stored at 20 °C for 15 days. The results obtained by applying our BCA PT22AV, revealed, in the field and in postharvest, the highest level of disease protection with management strategies BIO2 (94.8–97.2% in field; 65–84% in postharvest) and INT3 (95.5–97% in field and 63% to 91% in postharvest). The level of fungicide residues in fruit was zero in BIO strategies and lower in INT strategies as compared to chemical strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Control Strategies for Fungal Plant Pathogens)
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11 pages, 1777 KiB  
Article
Postharvest Application of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens PMB04 Fermentation Broth Reduces Anthracnose Occurrence in Mango Fruit
by Yu-Shen Liang, Ju-Yin Fu, Szu-Han Chao, Yuh Tzean, Chia-Yu Hsiao, Yung-Yu Yang, Yu-Kuo Chen and Yi-Hsien Lin
Agriculture 2022, 12(10), 1646; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12101646 - 9 Oct 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3308
Abstract
Anthracnose is a destructive postharvest disease of mango fruit, especially after ripening. The application of antagonistic Bacillus spp. strains is one of many promising control strategies. B. amyloliquefaciens (PMB04) exhibits strong antagonistic activity against anthracnose in strawberry fruit, yet has not been explored [...] Read more.
Anthracnose is a destructive postharvest disease of mango fruit, especially after ripening. The application of antagonistic Bacillus spp. strains is one of many promising control strategies. B. amyloliquefaciens (PMB04) exhibits strong antagonistic activity against anthracnose in strawberry fruit, yet has not been explored for anthracnose control in mango fruit. Among seven tested rhizobacterial strains, PMB04 exhibited the strongest inhibition against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Cg) growth. PMB04 demonstrated better inhibitory activity against Cg mycelial growth than the fungicides pyraclostrobin and difenoconazole. A PMB04 fermentation broth (PMB04FB) was prepared and tested, and showed superior efficacy in the reduction of anthracnose disease severity in mangoes compared to a PMB04 suspension, difenoconazole, or pyraclostrobin. We further found PMB04FB increased the mortality ratio of Cg conidia. Our study demonstrates that treatment with PMB04FB is an effective control method for anthracnose in mango and represents a promising strategy for postharvest mango processing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Control Strategies for Fungal Plant Pathogens)
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13 pages, 295 KiB  
Article
Initial In Vitro Assessment of the Antifungal Activity of Aqueous Extracts from Three Invasive Plant Species
by Ahmed M. Abbas, Stephen J. Novak, Mahmoud Fictor, Yasser S. Mostafa, Saad A. Alamri, Sulaiman A. Alrumman, Mostafa A. Taher, Mohamed Hashem and Rafat Khalaphallah
Agriculture 2022, 12(8), 1152; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12081152 - 4 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2944
Abstract
The development of new, safe, and effective methods of managing fungal pathogens is required. This study was conducted to perform an initial in vitro assessment of the antifungal activity of water-based plant extracts from three plants which are invasive in Egypt: Prosopis juliflora [...] Read more.
The development of new, safe, and effective methods of managing fungal pathogens is required. This study was conducted to perform an initial in vitro assessment of the antifungal activity of water-based plant extracts from three plants which are invasive in Egypt: Prosopis juliflora, Ipomoea carnea, and Leucaena leucocephala. These extracts were tested against three pathogenic fungi species that cause high crop losses in Egypt: Fusarium solani, Alternaria solani, and Colletotrichum circinans. Three extract concentrations, 10%, 20%, and 30%, were tested using a completely randomized design, with three replicates per treatment. Antifungal activity was determined based on the effects of plant extracts on fungal radial growth inhibition, average daily growth of fungi, spore formation, spore germination, and total biomass. Inhibition of the growth of fungal strains increased with increasing plant extract concentration, with the highest inhibitory rate at the 30% extract concentration. In addition, spore density, spore germination, and total biomass decreased significantly with increasing extract concentration. The three fungal pathogens differed in their inhibition and their response to these plant extracts. Prosopis juliflora had the highest inhibitory effect on the three fungal pathogens, compared to the extracts from the other two invasive plants. The results of this feasibility study indicate that P. juliflora extracts have high antifungal activity and follow-up in vivo assays should be conducted to determine their efficacy in the safe and sustainable management of these and other fungal pathogens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Control Strategies for Fungal Plant Pathogens)
15 pages, 4118 KiB  
Article
Efficacy of Bacillus subtilis XZ18-3 as a Biocontrol Agent against Rhizoctonia cerealis on Wheat
by Yanjie Yi, Pengyu Luan, Shifei Liu, Youtian Shan, Zhipeng Hou, Shuyun Zhao, Shao Jia and Ruifang Li
Agriculture 2022, 12(2), 258; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12020258 - 11 Feb 2022
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5011
Abstract
Rhizoctonia cerealis is a major fungal pathogen of wheat that causes great yield losses in all wheat-growing regions of the world. The biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis XZ18-3 was investigated for inhibiting R. cerealis growth in wheat. The results of the mycelial growth test [...] Read more.
Rhizoctonia cerealis is a major fungal pathogen of wheat that causes great yield losses in all wheat-growing regions of the world. The biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis XZ18-3 was investigated for inhibiting R. cerealis growth in wheat. The results of the mycelial growth test showed that the sterile filtrate of B. subtilis XZ18-3 could significantly inhibit the mycelial growth of R. cerealis and cause swelling and rupture of the mycelium. Observation by transmission electron microscopy indicated that the sterile filtrate could penetrate the cellular membrane of Rhizoctoniacerealis, resulting in organelle destruction. The effect of the sterile filtrates on the pathogen cells, shown through fluorescent microscopy using different stains, revealed the mechanism by which the sterile filtrate caused DNA fragmentation, accumulation of ROS and changes in cell membrane permeability. To reach a better treatment of the soil-borne fungi, the components of a wettable powder were screened and an optimised formula determined (30.0% kaolin, 4.0% polyvinyl alcohol, 8.0% Tween-80, 2.0% polyethylene glycol and 100% fermentation broth). A quality index analysis revealed that the wetting powder reached acceptable biological pesticide standards. Pot control experiments showed that the wettable powder of B. subtilis XZ18-3 effectively controlled the pathogens with an efficacy of 88.28%. This study has provided the potential biocontrol agents (BCAs) for wheat sharp eyespot disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Control Strategies for Fungal Plant Pathogens)
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