Boosting plant defence by beneficial soil microorganisms

Abstract

Plants in their environment face potential deleterious organisms such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, etc. Many of them are able to cause plant diseases, responsible of important losses in crop production worldwide. But often the outcome of these interactions is not disease, since plants have developed multiple mechanisms to protect themselves against pathogens attack. Moreover, beneficial microorganisms are common in the soil, improving plant growth and reducing the effects of deleterious organisms. While chemical control of plant diseases is usually expensive and may have a negative impact on the environment and on public health, the use of microorganisms to control plant pathogens, known as biological control, is accepted as a durable and environmentally friendly alternative in plant disease management.