Fungal Bioinoculants for Plant Disease Management

Abstract

Plant diseases are among the major constraints in the production of food crops and inflict significant losses to global agriculture. Pesticides are widely used to control plant diseases but their application is costly and, in some cases, may bring more disadvantages than benefits. Use of bioinoculants to control plant diseases is an economically viable and ecologically sustainable method of disease management. A large number of bioinoculants is available; among them, bioinoculant fungi constitute the majority and are widely used in different cropping systems. Important bioinoculants that directly parasitize plant pathogens include Trichoderma spp., Paecelomyces lilacinus, and Pochonia chlamydosporia. Plant growth-promoting fungi such as Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. may also suppress plant pathogens. In general, bioinoculants are effective against seed- and soil-borne fungi and nematodes. However, an important limitation in their commercial use in crop protection is nonavailability of efficient immobilizing systems for delivery and survival of bioinoculants. This chapter describes important bioinoculants, their effects, and their mechanisms of action against plant diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, and nematodes. State-of-the-art technology available for the production of commercial formulation of bioinoculants, along with important lacuna, is also discussed.