Abstract
The use of synthetic fungicides represents the most common strategy to control plant pathogens. Excessive and/or long-term distribution of chemicals is responsible for increased levels of environmental pollution, as well as adverse health consequence to humans and animals. These issues are deeply influencing public perception, as reflected by the increasing demand for safer and eco-friendly agricultural commodities and their by-products. A steadily increasing number of research efforts is now devoted to explore the use of safer and innovative approaches to control plant pathogens. The use of microorganisms as biological control agents (BCAs) represents one of the most durable and promising strategies. Among the panoply of microbial mechanisms exerted by BCAs, the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) represents an intriguing issue, mostly exploitable in circumstances where a direct contact between the pathogen and its antagonist is not practicable. VOCs are potentially produced by all living microorganisms, and may be active in the biocontrol of phytopathogenic oomycetes, fungi, and bacteria by means of antimicrobial activity and/or other cross-talk interactions. Their biological effects, the reduced residuals in the environment and on agricultural commodities, and the ease of application in different agricultural systems make the use of VOCs a promising and sustainable approach to replace synthetic fungicides in the control of plant pathogens. In this review, we focus on VOCs produced by bacteria and fungi and on their role in the cross-talk existing between the plant pathogens and their host. Biologic systemic effect of the microbial volatile blends on both pathogen and host plant cells is also briefly reviewed.
Highlights
Synthetic biocides are the major route to control plant pathogens (Irtwange, 2006)
We focus our attention on the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) production by biological control agents (BCAs), intended as active effectors of the dynamic network of cross-relations existing among microbial entities and their host
Exposure to the sole 2-PE can only partially reproduce the metabolic alteration provoked by the whole yeast-derived volatilome, thereby suggesting that other minor and still unidentified yeast VOCs components are likely to involve a plurality of metabolic targets, resulting in a higher effectiveness of the treatment over the long-term period (Tilocca et al, 2019)
Summary
Synthetic biocides are the major route to control plant pathogens (Irtwange, 2006). it has been widely demonstrated that prolonged usage of such agrochemicals is associated with unsustainable levels of environmental pollution, raising ecological concern. VOCs are a blend of volatile metabolites potentially produced by all living microorganisms and were observed to be active in the control of phytopathogenic oomycetes, fungi, and bacteria by means of antimicrobial activity and other cross-talk interactions Their antimicrobial effects, along with the reduced hazard for both environment and human beings and their possible application without the need of a supplemental spray or drench, make the use of VOCs a promising and sustainable approach to replace fungicides of synthetic origin in the control of plant pathogens (Mercier and Jiménez, 2004; Fialho et al, 2010; Parafati et al, 2017). Their potential exploitation as effective mechanisms to control the causal agents of diseases of economically relevant plants is discussed
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