Biotechnological Aspects of Microorganisms Used in Plant Biological Control

The future of sustainable agriculture will increasingly rely on the integration of biotechnology with traditional agricultural practices. Most sustainable and environmentally acceptable control may be achieved using biocontrol agents due to the effort to reduce the use of agrochemicals and their residues in the environment and in food. Identifying, understanding and utilizing microorganisms or microbial products to control of plant diseases and to enhance crop production are integral parts of sustainable agriculture. Biological control has the potential to control crop diseases while causing no or minimal detrimental environmental impact. This review article states the role of antibiosis in biological control of plant diseases mediated by specific metabolites of microbial origin, as antibiotics, enzymes, volatile compounds or other toxic substances. Also, new evidence obtained with the modern tools of microbial genetics or molecular techniques, which can use to study the biocontrol mechanisms and improve the biocontrol activity, metabolites and products that could have important environmental benefits.