BIOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATED CONTROL OF PLANT PATHOGENS - ACTIVITY OF THE IOBC WPRS 'BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF FUNGAL AND BACTERIAL PLANT PATHOGENS' WORKING GROUP

摘要

Vast experience has been gained in biological control of soil-borne and foliar diseases of fruits, grain, fiber and wood products at all growth stages - pie-planting, during cultivation or at post-harvest. Infection by pathogens can be reduced under controlled or field conditions by pre- inoculation of the plant surfaces with filamentous fungi, bacteria, yeasts or viruses (Andrews 1992, Blakeman 1993, Blakeman and Fokkema 1982, Brasier 1998, Tronsmo 1992, Funck-Jensen and Lumsden 1999). Biocontrol offers attractive alternatives or supplements to the use of conventional methods for disease control. Biological control agents (BCAs) are perceived as being less demanding to the environment and their generally complex mode of action makes it unlikely that resistance will develop. The interest in biocontrol is reflected in the number of scientific publications that relate to this subject. The number of scientific publications that deal with plant pathogens increased during the 1980s and 1990s by approximately 200% as compared with the number of publications during the 1970s whereas the number of publications that relates to the biocontrol of these pathogens increased in the same period by approximately 1170% (more than 11 fold). The portion of biocontrol publications of the total number of publications on the respective pathogens increased from less than 10% during the 1970s to between 10% and 30%, depending on the pathogen in question. However, enthusiasm for the use of biocontrol needs to be balanced by the realisation that few microbial agents have been registered as commercial products (Elad and Freeman, 2002).