Interaction between Plants and Microorganisms: Microbial Biological Control Agents against Plant Pathogens

Abstract

Plant pathogenic bacteria are a substantial and long-term danger to food supply and environmental stability across the planet. With the increase in agricultural productivity in the last few decades, farmers are getting reliant on agrochemicals as a reasonably consistent means of crop protection. But increased use of chemical inputs has various negative consequences, including disease resistance to the agents used and non-target environmental repercussions. Hence biological control is being explored as an alternative or supplement to chemical control in agriculture. This study reviews the interactions taking place between a given microorganism (fungi, bacteria, viruses) and a plant. The relation between the two organisms in the discussion can be encompassed in an elaborate manner based on the mutual gains and losses incurred by both the organisms. Microbes that interact with plants, can be manipulated and used as Biological Control Agents (BCA). BCAs are potentially seen as the alternative to using harmful chemicals in the name of fertilizers and weedicides. This study illustrates the various possible interactions between plant and other species, with specific emphasis on bacterial biocontrol and tries to answer the question: How can these interactions be articulated against a third, pathogenic and harmful species?