The hunt for beneficial fungi for tomato crop improvement – Advantages and perspectives

Abstract

Beneficial fungi with antagonistic and entomopathogenic properties have shown promising effect in the biological control of diseases and pests in a variety of commercially significant crops, including tomato, in recent years. Despite the fact that such treatments are environmentally safe, their risk on non-target species in tomato fields remains unknown. Beneficial fungi that have been commercialised for field use have had little effects on the population of arthropod pests and the incidence of diseases in tomato fields due to various reasons. The use of fungal antagonists and entomopathogenic fungi-based products for the management of diseases and pests of tomato crop has been done all over the world. The investigated reports, however, are scattered throughout the research papers, so they need to be compiled and discussed. Therefore, efficiency of antagonistic and entomopathogenic fungi against important pests and pathogens of tomato crop, as well as their practical use as biofungicides and bioinsecticides to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides, are discussed in this review paper. Besides, plant growth promotion activity of beneficial fungi, their appropriateness as an alternative of synthetic pesticides, and future prospects are also discussed.