Biological Control of the Plant Pathogens

Dear Colleagues,

After almost a century of investigation, microbial biocontrol agents (BCAs) have attracted global attention for their ability to ensure food security by directly arresting pre-harvest crop losses and indirectly by improving crop productivity. The application of BCAs has ensured profitability and sustainable livelihoods for rural farmers. In addition, the global BCA market is estimated to surpass USD 3.71 billion by 2023, with an estimated CAGR of 9.86% during the period from 2018 to 2023 (IndustryARC BioControl Agents Market Forecast 2022-2027). Despite the global progress, the scale of biopesticide use remains relatively insignificant compared to the use of chemical pesticides.

The irregular performance of BCAs in different agro-climatic conditions, crop-wise dose standardization, the development of need-based formulations (for targeted crops and phytopathogens), biosafety issues, long-term impact on native microbial community structure, their role in the management of emerging phytopathogens, etc., are some of the key areas that require urgent attention. Hence, this Special Issue invites contributions offering innovative, ecofriendly, and cost-effective solutions to overcome the aforementioned challenges at the plant–microbe, plant–soil, and soil–microbe axes.

The submission of original research articles, review articles, method papers, and opinions is encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Rainer Borriss
Dr. Chetan Keswani
Guest Editors

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