Plant pathogens-BiologicalControl PDF

Pal, K. K. and B. McSpadden Gardener, 2006. Biological Control of Plant Pathogens.
The Plant Health

Instructor DOI: 10.1094/PHI-A-2006-1117-02.
Biological Control of Plant Pathogens
Kamal Krishna Pal*, Visiting Scholar, Department of Plant Pathology, Ohio State University,
OARDC, Wooster, OH
Brian McSpadden Gardener, Department of Plant Pathology, Ohio State University, OARDC,
Wooster, OH
*Permanent address: National Research Centre for Groundnut, Ivnagar Road, PB No. 5,
Juangadh-362 001, Gujarat, India
Introduction
Plant diseases need to be controlled to maintain the quality and abundance of food, feed,
and fiber produced by growers around the world. Different approaches may be used to prevent,
mitigate or control plant diseases. Beyond good agronomic and horticultural practices, growers
often rely heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Such inputs to agriculture have
contributed significantly to the spectacular improvements in crop productivity and quality over
the past 100 years. However, the environmental pollution caused by excessive use and misuse of
agrochemicals, as well as fear-mongering by some opponents of pesticides, has led to
considerable changes in people’s attitudes towards the use of pesticides in agriculture. Today,
there are strict regulations on chemical pesticide use, and there is political pressure to remove the
most hazardous chemicals from the market. Additionally, the spread of plant diseases in natural
ecosystems may preclude successful application of chemicals, because of the scale to which such
applications might have to be applied. Consequently, some pest management researchers have
focused their efforts on developing alternative inputs to synthetic chemicals for controlling pests
and diseases. Among these alternatives are those referred to as biological controls.
A variety of biological controls are available for use, but further development and
effective adoption will require a greater understanding of the complex interactions among plants,
people, and the environment. To that end, this article is presented as an advanced survey of the
nature and practice of biological control as it is applied to the suppression of plant diseases. This
survey will i) describe the various definitions and key mechanisms of biocontrol, ii) explore the
relationships between microbial diversity and biological control, iii) describe the current status of
research and application of biological controls, and iv) briefly outline future directions that might
lead to the development of more diverse and effective biological controls for plant diseases.
Definitions
The terms “biological control” and its abbreviated synonym “biocontrol” have been used
in different fields of biology, most notably entomology and plant pathology. In entomology, it
has been used to describe the use of live predatory insects, entomopathogenic nematodes, or
The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 1

microbial pathogens to suppress populations of different pest insects. In plant pathology, the
term applies to the use of microbial antagonists to suppress diseases as well as the use of host-
specific pathogens to control weed populations. In both fields, the organism that suppresses the
pest or pathogen is referred to as the biological control agent (BCA). More broadly, the term
biological control also has been applied to the use of the natural products extracted or fermented
from various sources. These formulations may be very simple mixtures of natural ingredients
with specific activities or complex mixtures with multiple effects on the host as well as the target
pest or pathogen. And, while such inputs may mimic the activities of living organisms, non-
living inputs should more properly be referred to as biopesticides or biofertilizers, depending on
the primary benefit provided to the host plant. The various definitions offered in the scientific
literature have sometimes caused confusion and controversy. For example, members of the U.S.
National Research Council took into account modern biotechnological developments and
referred to biological control as “the use of natural or modified organisms, genes, or gene
products, to reduce the effects of undesirable organisms and to favor desirable organisms such as
crops, beneficial insects, and microorganisms”, but this definition spurred much subsequent
debate and it was frequently considered too broad by many scientists who worked in the field
(US Congress, 1995). Because the term biological control can refer to a spectrum of ideas, it is
important to stipulate the breadth of the term when it is applied to the review of any particular
work.
Published definitions of biocontrol differ depending on the target of suppression; number,

type and source of biological agents; and the degree and timing of human intervention. Most
broadly, biological control is the suppression of damaging activities of one organism by one or
more other organisms, often referred to as natural enemies. With regards to plant diseases,
suppression can be accomplished in many ways. If growers’ activities are considered relevant,
cultural practices such as the use of rotations and planting of disease resistant cultivars (whether
naturally selected or genetically engineered) would be included in the definition. Because the
plant host responds to numerous biological factors, both pathogenic and non-pathogenic, induced
host resistance might be considered a form of biological control. More narrowly, biological
control refers to the purposeful utilization of introduced or resident living organisms, other
than disease resistant host plants, to suppress the activities and populations of one or more
plant pathogens. This may involve the use of microbial inoculants to suppress a single type or
class of plant diseases. Or, this may involve managing soils to promote the combined activities
of native soil- and plant-associated organisms that contribute to general suppression. Most
narrowly, biological control refers to the suppression of a single pathogen (or pest), by a single
antagonist, in a single cropping system. Most specialists in the field would concur with one of
the narrower definitions presented above. In this review, biological control will be narrowly
defined as highlighted above in bold.
Types of interactions contributing to biological control
Throughout their lifecycle, plants and pathogens interact with a wide variety of
organisms. These interactions can significantly affect plant health in various ways. In order to
understand the mechanisms of biological control, it is helpful to appreciate the different ways
that organisms interact. Note, too, that in order to interact, organisms must have some form of
direct or indirect contact. Odum (1953) proposed that the interactions of two populations be

defined by the outcomes for each. The types of interactions were referred to as mutualism,
protocooperation, commensalism, neutralism, competition, amensalism, parasitism, and
predation. While the terminology was developed for macroecology, examples of all of these
types of interactions can be found in the natural world at both the macroscopic and microscopic
level. And, because the development of plant diseases involves both plants and microbes, the
interactions that lead to biological control take place at multiple levels of scale.
From the plant’s perspective, biological control can be considered a net positive result
arising from a variety of specific and non-specific interactions. Using the spectrum of Odum’s
concepts, we can begin to classify and functionally delineate the diverse components of
ecosystems that contribute to biocontrol. Mutualism is an association between two or more
species where both species derive benefit. Sometimes, it is an obligatory lifelong interaction
involving close physical and biochemical contact, such as those between plants and mycorrhizal
fungi. However, they are generally facultative and opportunistic. For example, bacteria in the
genus Rhizobium can reproduce either in the soil or, to a much greater degree, through their
mutualistic association with legume plants. These types of mutualism can contribute to
biological control, by fortifying the plant with improved nutrition and/or by stimulating host
defenses. Protocooperation is a form of mutualism, but the organisms involved do not depend
exclusively on each other for survival. Many of the microbes isolated and classified as BCAs can
be considered facultative mutualists involved in protocooperation, because survival rarely
depends on any specific host and disease suppression will vary depending on the prevailing
environmental conditions. Further down the spectrum, commensalism is a symbiotic interaction
between two living organisms, where one organism benefits and the other is neither harmed nor
benefited. Most plant-associated microbes are assumed to be commensals with regards to the
host plant, because their presence, individually or in total, rarely results in overtly positive or
negative consequences to the plant. And, while their presence may present a variety of
challenges to an infecting pathogen, an absence of measurable decrease in pathogen infection or
disease severity is indicative of commensal interactions. Neutralism describes the biological
interactions when the population density of one species has absolutely no effect whatsoever on
the other. Related to biological control, an inability to associate the population dynamics of
pathogen with that of another organism would indicate neutralism. In contrast, antagonism
between organisms results in a negative outcome for one or both. Competition within and
between species results in decreased growth, activity and/or fecundity of the interacting
organisms. Biocontrol can occur when non-pathogens compete with pathogens for nutrients in
and around the host plant. Direct interactions that benefit one population at the expense of
another also affect our understanding of biological control. Parasitism is a symbiosis in which
two phylogenetically unrelated organisms coexist over a prolonged period of time. In this type of
association, one organism, usually the physically smaller of the two (called the parasite) benefits
and the other (called the host) is harmed to some measurable extent. The activities of various
hyperparasites, i.e., those agents that parasitize plant pathogens, can result in biocontrol. And,
interestingly, host infection and parasitism by relatively avirulent pathogens may lead to
biocontrol of more virulent pathogens through the stimulation of host defense systems. Lastly,
predation refers to the hunting and killing of one organism by another for consumption and
sustenance. While the term predator typically refer to animals that feed at higher trophic levels in
the macroscopic world, it has also been applied to the actions of microbes, e.g. protists, and
mesofauna, e.g. fungal feeding nematodes and microarthropods, that consume pathogen biomass

for sustenance. Biological control can result in varying degrees from all of these types of
interactions, depending on the environmental context within which they occur. Significant
biological control, as defined above, most generally arises from manipulating mutualisms
between microbes and their plant hosts or from manipulating antagonisms between microbes and
pathogens.
Mechanisms of biological control
Because biological control can result from many different types of interactions between
organisms, researchers have focused on characterizing the mechanisms operating in different
experimental situations. In all cases, pathogens are antagonized by the presence and activities of
other organisms that they encounter. Here, we assert that the different mechanisms of
antagonism occur across a spectrum of directionality related to the amount of interspecies
contact and specificity of the interactions (Table 1). Direct antagonism results from physical
contact and/or a high-degree of selectivity for the pathogen by the mechanism(s) expressed by
the BCA(s). In such a scheme, hyperparasitism by obligate parasites of a plant pathogen would
be considered the most direct type of antagonism because the activities of no other organism
Table 1. Types of interspecies antagonisms leading to biological control of plant pathogens.

Type Mechanism Examples
Direct antagonism Hyperparasitism/predation Lytic/some nonlytic mycoviruses
Ampelomyces quisqualis
Lysobacter enzymogenes
Pasteuria penetrans
Trichoderma virens
Mixed-path antagonism Antibiotics 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol
Phenazines
Cyclic lipopeptides
Lytic enzymes Chitinases
Glucanases
Proteases
Unregulated waste products Ammonia
Carbon dioxide
Hydrogen cyanide
Physical/chemical interference Blockage of soil pores
Germination signals consumption
Molecular cross-talk confused
Indirect antagonism Competition Exudates/leachates consumption
Siderophore scavenging
Physical niche occupation
Induction of host resistance Contact with fungal cell walls
Detection of pathogen-associated,
molecular patterns
Phytohormone-mediated induction

would be required to exert a suppressive effect. In contrast, indirect antagonisms result from
activities that do not involve sensing or targeting a pathogen by the BCA(s). Stimulation of plant
host defense pathways by non-pathogenic BCAs is the most indirect form of antagonism.
However, in the context of the natural environment, most described mechanisms of pathogen
suppression will be modulated by the relative occurrence of other organisms in addition to the
pathogen. While many investigations have attempted to establish the importance of specific
mechanisms of biocontrol to particular pathosystems, all of the mechanisms described below are
likely to be operating to some extent in all natural and managed ecosystems. And, the most
effective BCAs studied to date appear to antagonize pathogens using multiple mechanisms. For
instance, pseudomonads known to produce the antibiotic 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG)
may also induce host defenses (Iavicoli et al. 2003). Additionally, DAPG-producers can
aggressively colonize roots, a trait that might further contribute to their ability to suppress
pathogen activity in the rhizosphere of wheat through competition for organic nutrients
(Raaijmakers and Weller 2001).
Hyperparasites and predation
In hyperparasitism, the pathogen is directly attacked by a specific BCA that kills it or its
propagules. In general, there are four major classes of hyperparasites: obligate bacterial
pathogens, hypoviruses, facultative parasites, and predators. Pasteuria penetrans is an obligate
bacterial pathogen of root-knot nematodes that has been used as a BCA. Hypoviruses are
hyperparasites. A classical example is the virus that infects Cryphonectria parasitica, a fungus
causing chestnut blight, which causes hypovirulence, a reduction in disease-producing capacity
of the pathogen. The phenomenon has controlled the chestnut blight in many places (Milgroom
and Cortesi 2004). However, the interaction of virus, fungus, tree, and environment determines
the success or failure of hypovirulence. There are several fungal parasites of plant pathogens,
including those that attack sclerotia (e.g. Coniothyrium minitans) while others attack living
hyphae (e.g. Pythium oligandrum). And, a single fungal pathogen can be attacked by multiple
hyperparasites. For example, Acremonium alternatum, Acrodontium crateriforme, Ampelomyces
quisqualis, Cladosporium oxysporum, and Gliocladium virens are just a few of the fungi that
have the capacity to parasitize powdery mildew pathogens (Kiss 2003). Other hyperparasites
attack plant-pathogenic nematodes during different stages of their life cycles (e.g. Paecilomyces
lilacinus and Dactylella oviparasitica). In contrast to hyperparasitism, microbial predation is
more general and pathogen non-specific and generally provides less predictable levels of disease
control. Some BCAs exhibit predatory behavior under nutrient-limited conditions. However,
such activity generally is not expressed under typical growing conditions. For example, some
species of Trichoderma produce a range of enzymes that are directed against cell walls of fungi.
However, when fresh bark is used in composts, Trichoderma spp. do not directly attack the plant
pathogen, Rhizoctonia solani. But in decomposing bark, the concentration of readily available
cellulose decreases and this activates the chitinase genes of Trichoderma spp., which in turn
produce chitinase to parasitize R. solani (Benhamou and Chet 1997).
Antibiotic-mediated suppression
Antibiotics are microbial toxins that can, at low concentrations, poison or kill other
microorganisms. Most microbes produce and secrete one or more compounds with antibiotic

activity. In some instances, antibiotics produced by microorganisms have been shown to be
particularly effective at suppressing plant pathogens and the diseases they cause. Some examples
of antibiotics reported to be involved in plant pathogen suppression are listed in Table 2. In all
cases, the antibiotics have been shown to be particularly effective at suppressing growth of the
target pathogen in vitro and/or in situ. To be effective, antibiotics must be produced in sufficient
Table 2. Some of antibiotics produced by BCAs

Antibiotic Source Target pathogen Disease Reference
2, 4-diacetyl- Pseudomonas Pythium spp. Damping off Shanahan et al.
phloroglucinol fluorescens F113 (1992),
Agrocin 84 Agrobacterium Agrobacterium Crown gall Kerr (1980)
radiobacter tumefaciens
Bacillomycin D Bacillus subtilis Aspergillus flavus Aflatoxin Moyne et al.
AU195 contamination (2001)
Bacillomycin, Bacillus Fusarium Wilt Koumoutsi et al.
fengycin amyloliquefaciens oxysporum (2004)
FZB42
Xanthobaccin A Lysobacter sp. Aphanomyces Damping off Islam et al.
strain SB-K88 cochlioides (2005)
Gliotoxin Trichoderma Rhizoctonia solani Root rots Wilhite et al.
virens (2001)
Herbicolin Pantoea Erwinia amylovora Fire blight Sandra et al.
agglomerans C9-1 (2001)
Iturin A B. subtilis QST713 Botrytis cinerea Damping off Paulitz and
and R. solani Belanger (2001),
Kloepper et al.
(2004)
Mycosubtilin B. subtilis Pythium Damping off Leclere et al.
BBG100 aphanidermatum (2005)
Phenazines P. fluorescens Gaeumannomyces Take-all Thomashow et
2-79 and 30-84 graminis var. tritici al. (1990)
Pyoluteorin, P. fluorescens Pf-5 Pythium ultimum Damping off Howell and
pyrrolnitrin and R. solani Stipanovic
(1980)
Pyrrolnitrin, Burkholderia R. solani and Damping off Homma et al.
pseudane cepacia Pyricularia oryzae and rice blast (1989)
Zwittermicin A Bacillus cereus Phytophthora Damping off Smith et al.
UW85 medicaginis and (1993)
P. aphanidermatum

quantities near the pathogen to result in a biocontrol effect. In situ production of antibiotics by
several different biocontrol agents has been measured (Thomashow et al. 2002); however, the
effective quantities are difficult to estimate because of the small quantities produced relative to
the other, less toxic, organic compounds present in the phytosphere. And while methods have
been developed to ascertain when and where biocontrol agents may produce antibiotics (Notz et
al. 2001), detecting expression in the infection court is difficult because of the heterogenous
distribution of plant-associated microbes and the potential sites of infection. In a few cases, the
relative importance of antibiotic production by biocontrol bacteria has been demonstrated, where
one or more genes responsible for biosynthesis of the antibiotics have been manipulated. For
example, mutant strains incapable of producing phenazines (Thomashow and Weller 1988) or
phloroglucinols (Keel et al. 1992, Fenton et al. 1992) have been shown to be equally capable of
colonizing the rhizosphere but much less capable of suppressing soilborne root diseases than the
corresponding wild-type and complemented mutant strains. Several biocontrol strains are known
to produce multiple antibiotics which can suppress one or more pathogens. For example, Bacillus
cereus strain UW85 is known to produce both zwittermycin (Silo-Suh et al. 1994) and
kanosamine (Milner et al. 1996). The ability to produce multiple antibiotics probably helps to
suppress diverse microbial competitors, some of which are likely to be plant pathogens. The
ability to produce multiple classes of antibiotics, that differentially inhibit different pathogens, is
likely to enhance biological control. More recently, Pseudomonas putida WCS358r strains
genetically engineered to produce phenazine and DAPG displayed improved capacities to
suppress plant diseases in field-grown wheat (Glandorf et al. 2001, Bakker et al. 2002).
Lytic enzymes and other byproducts of microbial life
Diverse microorganisms secrete and excrete other metabolites that can interfere with
pathogen growth and/or activities. Many microorganisms produce and release lytic enzymes that
can hydrolyze a wide variety of polymeric compounds, including chitin, proteins, cellulose,
hemicellulose, and DNA. Expression and secretion of these enzymes by different microbes can
sometimes result in the suppression of plant pathogen activities directly. For example, control of
Sclerotium rolfsii by Serratia marcescens appeared to be mediated by chitinase expression
(Ordentlich et al. 1988). And, a b-1,3-glucanase contributes significantly to biocontrol activities
of Lysobacter enzymogenes strain C3 (Palumbo et al. 2005). While they may stress and/or lyse
cell walls of living organisms, these enzymes generally act to decompose plant residues and
nonliving organic matter. Currently, it is unclear how much of the lytic enzyme activity that can
be detected in the natural environment represents specific responses to microbe-microbe
interactions. It seems more likely that such activities are largely indicative of the need to degrade
complex polymers in order to obtain carbon nutrition. Nonetheless, microbes that show a
preference for colonizing and lysing plant pathogens might be classified as biocontrol agents.
Lysobacter and Myxobacteria are known to produce copious amounts of lytic enzymes, and
some isolates have been shown to be effective at suppressing fungal plant pathogens (Kobayashi
and El-Barrad 1996, Bull et al. 2002). So, the lines between competition, hyperparasitism, and
antibiosis are generally blurred. Furthermore, some products of lytic enzyme activity may
contribute to indirect disease suppression. For example, oligosaccharides derived from fungal
cell walls are known to be potent inducers of plant host defenses. Interestingly, Lysobacter
enzymogenes strain C3 has been shown to induce plant host resistance to disease (Kilic-Ekici and

Yuen 2003), though the precise activities leading to this induction are not entirely clear. The
quantitative contribution of any and all of the above compounds to disease suppression is likely
to be dependent on the composition and carbon to nitrogen ratio of the soil organic matter that
serves as a food source for microbial populations in the soil and rhizosphere. However, such
activities can be manipulated so as to result in greater disease suppression. For example, in post-
harvest disease control, addition of chitosan can stimulate microbial degradation of pathogens
similar to that of an applied hyperparasite (Benhamou 2004). Chitosan is a non-toxic and
biodegradable polymer of beta-1,4-glucosamine produced from chitin by alkaline deacylation.
Amendment of plant growth substratum with chitosan suppressed the root rot caused by
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici in tomato (Lafontaine and Benhamou 1996).
Although the exact mechanism of action of chitosan is not fully understood, it has been observed
that treatment with chitosan increased resistance to pathogens.
Other microbial byproducts also may contribute to pathogen suppression. Hydrogen

cyanide (HCN) effectively blocks the cytochrome oxidase pathway and is highly toxic to all
aerobic microorganisms at picomolar concentrations. The production of HCN by certain
fluorescent pseudomonads is believed to be involved in the suppression of root pathogens. P.
fluorescens CHA0 produces antibiotics, siderophores and HCN, but suppression of black rot of
tobacco caused by Thielaviopsis basicola appeared to be due primarily to HCN production
(Voisard et al. 1989). Howell et al. (1988) reported that volatile compounds such as ammonia
produced by Enterobacter cloacae were involved in the suppression of Pythium ultimum-induced
damping-off of cotton. While it is clear that biocontrol microbes can release many different
compounds into their surrounding environment, the types and amounts produced in natural
systems in the presence and absence of plant disease have not been well documented and this
remains a frontier for discovery.
Competition
From a microbial perspective, soils and living plant surfaces are frequently nutrient
limited environments. To successfully colonize the phytosphere, a microbe must effectively
compete for the available nutrients. On plant surfaces, host-supplied nutrients include exudates,
leachates, or senesced tissue. Additionally, nutrients can be obtained from waste products of
other organisms such as insects (e.g. aphid honeydew on leaf surface) and the soil. While
difficult to prove directly, much indirect evidence suggests that competition between pathogens
and non-pathogens for nutrient resources is important for limiting disease incidence and severity.
In general, soilborne pathogens, such as species of Fusarium and Pythium, that infect through
mycelial contact are more susceptible to competition from other soil- and plant-associated
microbes than those pathogens that germinate directly on plant surfaces and infect through
appressoria and infection pegs. Genetic work of Anderson et al. (1988) revealed that production
of a particular plant glycoprotein called agglutinin was correlated with potential of P. putida to
colonize the root system. P. putida mutants deficient in this ability exhibited reduced capacity to
colonize the rhizosphere and a corresponding reduction in Fusarium wilt suppression in
cucumber (Tari and Anderson 1988). The most abundant nonpathogenic plant-associated
microbes are generally thought to protect the plant by rapid colonization and thereby exhausting
the limited available substrates so that none are available for pathogens to grow. For example,
effective catabolism of nutrients in the spermosphere has been identified as a mechanism

contributing to the suppression of Pythium ultimum by Enterobacter cloacae (van Dijk and
Nelson 2000, Kageyama and Nelson 2003). At the same time, these microbes produce
metabolites that suppress pathogens. These microbes colonize the sites where water and carbon-
containing nutrients are most readily available, such as exit points of secondary roots, damaged
epidermal cells, and nectaries and utilize the root mucilage.
Biocontrol based on competition for rare but essential micronutrients, such as iron, has
also been examined. Iron is extremely limited in the rhizosphere, depending on soil pH. In highly
oxidized and aerated soil, iron is present in ferric form (Lindsay 1979), which is insoluble in
water (pH 7.4) and the concentration may be as low as 10-18 M. This concentration is too low to
support the growth of microorganisms, which generally need concentrations approaching 10-6 M.
To survive in such an environment, organisms were found to secrete iron-binding ligands called
siderophores having high affinity to sequester iron from the micro-environment. Almost all
microorganisms produce siderophores, of either the catechol type or hydroxamate type (Neilands
1981). Kloepper et al. (1980) were the first to demonstrate the importance of siderophore
production as a mechanism of biological control of Erwinia carotovora by several plant-growth-
promoting Pseudomonas fluorescens strains A1, BK1, TL3B1 and B10. And, a direct
correlation was established in vitro between siderophore synthesis in fluorescent pseudomonads
and their capacity to inhibit germination of chlamydospores of F. oxysporum (Elad and Baker
1985, Sneh et al. 1984). As with the antibiotics, mutants incapable of producing some
siderophores, such as pyoverdine, were reduced in their capacity to suppress different plant
pathogens (Keel et al. 1989, Loper and Buyer 1991). The increased efficiency in iron uptake of
the commensal microorganisms is thought to be a contributing factor to their ability to
aggressively colonize plant roots and an aid to the displacement of the deleterious organisms
from potential sites of infection.
Induction of host resistance
Plants actively respond to a variety of environmental stimuli, including gravity, light,

temperature, physical stress, water and nutrient availability. Plants also respond to a variety of
chemical stimuli produced by soil- and plant-associated microbes. Such stimuli can either induce
or condition plant host defenses through biochemical changes that enhance resistance against
subsequent infection by a variety of pathogens. Induction of host defenses can be local and/or
systemic in nature, depending on the type, source, and amount of stimuli. Recently,
phytopathologists have begun to characterize the determinants and pathways of induced
resistance stimulated by biological control agents and other non-pathogenic microbes (Table 3).
The first of these pathways, termed systemic acquired resistance (SAR), is mediated by salicylic
acid (SA), a compound which is frequently produced following pathogen infection and typically
leads to the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins. These PR proteins include a variety
of enzymes some of which may act directly to lyse invading cells, reinforce cell wall boundaries
to resist infections, or induce localized cell death. A second phenotype, first referred to as
induced systemic resistance (ISR), is mediated by jasmonic acid (JA) and/or ethylene, which are
produced following applications of some nonpathogenic rhizobacteria. Interestingly, the SA- and
JA- dependent defense pathways can be mutually antagonistic, and some bacterial pathogens
take advantage of this to overcome the SAR. For example, pathogenic strains of Pseudomonas

Table 3. Bacterial determinants and types of host resistance induced by biocontrol agents
Bacterial strain Plant species Bacterial determinant Type Reference
Bacillus mycoides Sugar beet Peroxidase, chitinase ISR Bargabus et al. (2002)
strain Bac J and β-1,3-glucanase
Bacillus pumilus Sugar beet Peroxidase, chitinase ISR Bargabus et al. (2004)
203-6 and β-1,3-glucanase
Bacillus subtilis Arabidopsis 2,3-butanediol ISR Ryu et al. (2004)
GB03 and IN937a
Pseudomonas
fluorescens strains
CHA0 Tobacco Siderophore SAR Maurhofer et al. (1994)
Arabidopsis Antibiotics (DAPG) ISR Iavicoli et al. (2003)
WCS374 Radish Lipopolysaccharide ISR Leeman et al. (1995)
Siderophore Leeman et al. (1995)
Iron regulated factor Leeman et al. (1995)
WCS417 Carnation Lipopolysaccharide ISR Van Peer and Schipper
(1992)
Radish Lipopolysaccharide ISR Leeman et al. (1995)
Iron regulated factor Leeman et al. (1995)
Arabidopsis Lipopolysaccharide ISR Van Wees et al. (1997)
Tomato Lipopolysaccharide ISR Duijff et al. (1997)
Pseudomonas Arabidopsis Lipopolysaccharide ISR Meziane et al. (2005)
putida strains
WCS 358 Arabidopsis Lipopolysaccharide ISR Meziane et al. (2005)
Siderophore ISR Meziane et al. (2005)
BTP1 Bean Z,3-hexenal ISR Ongena et al. (2004)
Serratia Cucumber Siderophore ISR Press et al. (2001)
marcescens 90-166
syringae produce coronatine, which is similar to JA, to overcome the SA-mediated pathway (He
et al. 2004). Because the various host-resistance pathways can be activated to varying degrees by
different microbes and insect feeding, it is plausible that multiple stimuli are constantly being
received and processed by the plant. Thus, the magnitude and duration of host defense induction
will likely vary over time. Only if induction can be controlled, i.e. by overwhelming or
synergistically interacting with endogenous signals, will host resistance be increased.

A number of strains of root-colonizing microbes have been identified as potential
elicitors of plant host defenses. Some biocontrol strains of Pseudomonas sp. and Trichoderma sp.
are known to strongly induce plant host defenses (Haas and Defago 2005, Harman 2004). In
several instances, inoculations with plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) were effective
in controlling multiple diseases caused by different pathogens, including anthracnose
(Colletotrichum lagenarium), angular leaf spot (Pseudomonas syringae pv. lachrymans and
bacterial wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila). A number of chemical elicitors of SAR and ISR may be
produced by the PGPR strains upon inoculation, including salicylic acid, siderophore,
lipopolysaccharides, and 2,3-butanediol, and other volatile substances (Van Loon et al. 1998,
Ongena et al. 2004, Ryu et al. 2004). Again, there may be multiple functions to such molecules
blurring the lines between direct and indirect antagonisms. More generally, a substantial number
of microbial products have been identified as elicitors of host defenses, indicating that host
defenses are likely stimulated continually over the course of a plant’s lifecycle. Excluding the
components directly related to pathogenesis, these inducers include lipopolysaccharides and
flagellin from Gram-negative bacteria; cold shock proteins of diverse bacteria; transglutaminase,
elicitins, and β-glucans in Oomycetes; invertase in yeast; chitin and ergosterol in all fungi; and
xylanase in Trichoderma (Numberger et al. 2004). These data suggest that plants would detect
the composition of their plant-associated microbial communities and respond to changes in the
abundance, types, and localization of many different signals. The importance of such interactions
is indicated by the fact that further induction of host resistance pathways, by chemical and
microbiological inducers, is not always effective at improving plant health or productivity in the
field (Vallad and Goodman 2004).
Microbial diversity and disease suppression
Plants are surrounded by diverse types of mesofauna and microbial organisms, some of
which can contribute to biological control of plant diseases. Microbes that contribute most to
disease control are most likely those that could be classified competitive saprophytes,
facultative plant symbionts and facultative hyperparasites. These can generally survive on
dead plant material, but they are able to colonize and express biocontrol activities while growing
on plant tissues. A few, like avirulent Fusarium oxysporum and binucleate Rhizoctonia-like
fungi, are phylogenetically very similar to plant pathogens but lack active virulence determinants
for many of the plant hosts from which they can be recovered. Others, like Pythium oligandrum
are currently classified as distinct species. However, most are phylogenetically distinct from
pathogens and, most often, they are subspecies variants of the same microbial groups. Due to the
ease with which they can be cultured, most biocontrol research has focused on a limited number
of bacterial (Bacillus, Burkholderia, Lysobacter, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, and Streptomyces) and
fungal (Ampelomyces, Coniothyrium, Dactylella, Gliocladium, Paecilomyces, and Trichoderma)
genera. Still, other microbes that are more recalcitrant to in vitro culturing have been intensively
studied. These include mycorrhizal fungi, e.g. Pisolithus and Glomus spp. that can limit
subsequent infections, and some hyperparasites of plant pathogens, e.g. Pasteuria penetrans
which attack root-knot nematodes. Because multiple infections can and do take place in field-
grown plants, weakly virulent pathogens can contribute to the suppression of more virulent
pathogens, via the induction of host defenses. Lastly, there are the many general micro- and
meso-fauna predators, such as protists, collembola, mites, nematodes, annelids, and insect larvae

whose activities can reduce pathogen biomass, but may also facilitate infection and/or stimulate
plant host defenses by virtue of their own herbivorous activities.
While various epiphytes and endophytes may contribute to biological control, the
ubiquity of mycorrhizae deserves special consideration. Mycorrhizae are formed as the result of
mutualist symbioses between fungi and plants and occur on most plant species. Because they are
formed early in the development of the plants, they represent nearly ubiquitous root colonists
that assist plants with the uptake of nutrients (especially phosphorus and micronutrients). The
vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (VAM, also known as arbuscular mycorrhizal or
endomycorrhizal fungi) are all members of the zygomycota and the current classification
contains one order, the Glomales, encompassing six genera into which 149 species have been
classified (Morton and Benny 1990). Arbuscular mycorrhizae involve aseptate fungi and are
named for characteristic structures like arbuscles and vesicles found in the root cortex.
Arbuscules start to form by repeated dichotomous branching of fungal hyphae approximately
two days after root penetration inside the root cortical cell. Arbuscules are believed to be the site
of communication between the host and the fungus. Vesicles are basically hyphal swellings in
the root cortex that contain lipids and cytoplasm and act as storage organ of VAM. These
structures may present intra- and inter- cellular and can often develop thick walls in older roots.
These thick walled structures may function as propagules (Biermann and Linderman 1983).
During colonization, VAM fungi can prevent root infections by reducing the access sites and
stimulating host defense. VAM fungi have been found to reduce the incidence of root-knot
nematode (Linderman 1994). Various mechanisms also allow VAM fungi to increase a plant’s
stress tolerance. This includes the intricate network of fungal hyphae around the roots which
block pathogen infections. Inoculation of apple-tree seedlings with the VAM fungi Glomus
fasciculatum and G. macrocarpum suppressed apple replant disease caused by phytotoxic
myxomycetes (Catska 1994). VAM fungi protect the host plant against root-infecting pathogenic
bacteria. The damage due to Pseudomonas syringae on tomato may be significantly reduced
when the plants are well colonized by mycorrhizae (Garcia-Garrido and Ocampo 1989). The
mechanisms involved in these interactions include physical protection, chemical interactions and
indirect effects (Fitter and Garbaye 1994). The other mechanisms employed by VAM fungi to
indirectly suppress plant pathogens include enhanced nutrition to plants; morphological changes
in the root by increased lignification; changes in the chemical composition of the plant tissues
like antifungal chitinase, isoflavonoids, etc. (Morris and Ward 1992); alleviation of abiotic stress
and changes in the microbial composition in the mycorrhizosphere (Linderman 1994). In contrast
to VAM fungi, ectomycorrhizae proliferate outside the root surface and form a sheath around the
root by the combination of mass of root and hyphae called a mantle. Disease protection by
ectomycorrhizal fungi may involve multiple mechanisms including antibiosis, synthesis of
fungistatic compounds by plant roots in response to mycorrhizal infection and a physical barrier
of the fungal mantle around the plant root (Duchesne 1994). Ectomycorrhizal fungi like Paxillus
involutus effectively controlled root rot caused by Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium
moniliforme in red pine. Inoculation of sand pine with Pisolithus tinctorius, another
ectomycorrhizal fungus, controlled disease caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi (Ross and Marx
1972).
Because plant diseases may be suppressed by the activities of one or more plant-
associated microbes, researchers have attempted to characterize the organisms involved in

biological control. Historically, this has been done primarily through isolation, characterization,
and application of individual organisms. By design, this approach focuses on specific forms of
disease suppression. Specific suppression results from the activities of one or just a few
microbial antagonists. This type of suppression is thought to be occurring when inoculation of a
biocontrol agent results in substantial levels of disease suppressiveness. Its occurrence in natural
systems may also occur from time to time. For example, the introduction of Pseudomonas
fluorescens that produce the antibiotic 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol can result in the suppression of
various soilborne pathogens (Weller et al. 2002). However, specific agents must compete with
other soil- and root-associated microbes to survive, propagate, and express their antagonistic
potential during those times when the targeted pathogens pose an active threat to plant health. In
contrast, general suppression is more frequently invoked to explain the reduced incidence or
severity of plant diseases because the activities of multiple organisms can contribute to a
reduction in disease pressure. High soil organic matter supports a large and diverse mass of
microbes resulting in the availability of fewer ecological niches for which a pathogen competes.
The extent of general suppression will vary substantially depending on the quantity and quality
of organic matter present in a soil (Hoitink and Boehm 1999). Functional redundancy within
different microbial communities allows for rapid depletion of the available soil nutrient pool
under a large variety of conditions, before the pathogens can utilize them to proliferate and cause
disease. For example, diverse seed-colonizing bacteria can consume nutrients that are released
into the soil during germination thereby suppressing pathogen germination and growth
(McKellar and Nelson 2003). Manipulation of agricultural systems, through additions of
composts, green manures and cover crops is aimed at improving endogenous levels of general
suppression.
Biocontrol research, development, and adoption
Biological control really developed as an academic discipline during the 1970s and is
now a mature science supported in both the public and private sector (Baker 1987). Research
related to biological control is published in many different scientific journals, particularly those
related to plant pathology and entomology. Additionally, three academic journals are specifically
devoted to the discipline (i.e. Biological Control, Biocontrol Research and Technology, and
BioControl). In the United States, research funds for the discipline are provided primarily by
several USDA programs. These include the Section 406 programs, regional IPM grants,
Integrated Organic Program, IR-4, and several programs funded as part of the National Research
Initiative. Monies also exist to stimulate the development of commercial ventures through the
small business innovation research (SBIR) programs. Such ventures are intended to be conduits
for academic research that can be used to develop new companies.
Much has been learned from the biological control research conducted over the past forty
years. But, in addition to learning the lessons of the past, biocontrol researchers need to look
forward to define new and different questions, the answers to which will help facilitate new
biocontrol technologies and applications. Currently, fundamental advances in computing,
molecular biology, analytical chemistry, and statistics have led to new research aimed at
characterizing the structure and functions of biocontrol agents, pathogens, and host plants at the
molecular, cellular, organismal, and ecological levels.. Some of the research questions that will

advance our understanding of biological controls and the conditions under which it can be most
fruitfully applied are listed in Table 4.
Table 4: Some current topics of biocontrol research and development and associated questions:
1. The ecology of plant-associated microbes

How are pathogens and their antagonists distributed in the environment?
Under what conditions do biocontrol agents exert their suppressive capacities?
How do native and introduced populations respond to different management practices?
What determines successful colonization and expression of biocontrol traits?
What are the components and dynamics of plant host defense induction?
2. Application of current strains/inoculant strategies

Can more effective strains or strain variants be found for current applications?
Will genetic engineering of microbes and plants be useful for enhancing biocontrol?
How can formulations be used to enhance activities of known biocontrol agents?
3. Discovering novel strains and mechanisms of action

Can previously uncharacterized microbes act as biological control agents?
What other genes and gene products are involved in pathogen suppression?
Which novel strain combinations work more effectively than individual agents?
Which signal molecules of plant and microbial origin regulate the expression of
biocontrol traits by different agents?
4. Practical integration into agricultural systems

Which production systems can most benefit from biocontrol for disease management?
Which biocontrol strategies best fit with other IPM system components?
Can effective biocontrol-cultivar combinations be developed by plant breeders?
Over the past fifty years, academic research has led to the development of a small but
vital commercial sector that produces a number of biocontrol products. The current status of
commercialization of biological control products has been reviewed recently (Fravel 2005). As
in most industries, funding in the private sector research and development goes through cycles,
but seems likely to increase in the years ahead as regulatory and price pressures for agrochemical
inputs increase. Most of the commercial production of biological control agents is handled by
relatively small companies, such as Agraquest, BioWorks, Novozymes, Prophyta, Kemira Agro.
Occasionally, such companies are absorbed by or act as subsidiaries of multi-billion dollar
agrochemical companies, such as Bayer, Monsanto, Syngenta, and Sumitomo. Total revenues
of products used for biocontrol of plant diseases represented just a small fraction of the total
pesticide market during the first few years of the 21st century with total sales on the order of $10
to 20 million dollars annually. However, significant expansion is expected over the next 10 years
due to increasing petroleum prices, the expanded demand for organic food, and increased
demand for “safer” pesticides in agriculture, forestry, and urban landscapes.

Growers are interested in reducing dependence on chemical inputs, so biological controls
(defined in the narrow sense) can be expected to play an important role in Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) systems. A model describing the several steps required for a successful IPM
has been developed (McSpadden Gardener and Fravel 2002). In this model, good cultural
practices, including appropriate site selection, crop rotations, tillage, fertility and water
management, provide the foundation for successful pest management by providing a fertile
growing environment for the crop. The use of pest- and disease-resistant cultivars, developed
through conventional breeding or genetic engineering, provides the next line of defense.
However, such measures are not always sufficient to be productive or economically sustainable.
In such cases, the next step would be to deploy biorational controls of insect pests and diseases
These include BCAs, introduced as inoculants or amendments, as well as active ingredients
directly derived from natural origins and having a low impact on the environment and non-target
organisms. If these foundational options are not sufficient to ensure plant health and/or
economically sustainable production, then less specific and more harmful synthetic chemical
toxins can be used to ensure productivity and profitability. With the growing interest in reducing
chemical inputs, companies involved in the manufacturing and marketing of BCAs should
experience continued growth. However, stringent quality control measures must be adopted so
that farmers get quality products. New, more effective and stable formulations also will need to
be developed.
Most pathogens will be susceptible to one or more biocontrol strategies, but practical
implementation on a commercial scale has been constrained by a number of factors. Cost,
convenience, efficacy, and reliability of biological controls are important considerations, but
only in relation to the alternative disease control strategies. Cultural practices (e.g. good
sanitation, soil preparation, and water management) and host resistance can go a long way
towards controlling many diseases, so biocontrol should be applied only when such agronomic
practices are insufficient for effective disease control. As long as petroleum is cheap and
abundant, the cost and convenience of chemical pesticides will be difficult to surpass. However,
if the infection court or target pathogen can be effectively colonized using inoculation, the ability
of the living organism to reproduce could greatly reduce application costs. In general, though,
regulatory and cultural concerns about the health and safety of specific classes of pesticides are
the primary economic drivers promoting the adoption of biological control strategies in urban
and rural landscapes. Self-perpetuating biological controls (e.g. hypovirulence of the chestnut
blight pathogen) are also needed for control of diseases in forested and rangeland ecosystems
where high application rates over larger land areas are not economically-feasible. In terms of
efficacy and reliability, the greatest successes in biological control have been achieved in
situations where environmental conditions are most controlled or predictable and where
biocontrol agents can preemptively colonize the infection court. Monocyclic, soilborne and post-
harvest diseases have been controlled effectively by biological control agents that act as
bioprotectants (i.e. preventing infections). Specific applications for high value crops targeting
specific diseases (e.g. fireblight, downy mildew, and several nematode diseases) have also been
adopted. As research unravels the various conditions needed for successful biocontrol of
different diseases, the adoption of BCAs in IPM systems is bound to increase in the years ahead.

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US Congress Office of Technology Assessment. 1995. Biologically-based technologies for pest
control. OTA-ENV-636. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.

Vallad, G. E., and Goodman, R. M. 2004. Systemic acquired resistance and induced systemic
resistance in conventional agriculture: review and interpretation. Crop Sci. 44:1920-1934.
van Dijk, K., and Nelson, E. B. 2000. Fatty acid competition as a mechanism by which
Enterobacter cloacae suppresses Pythium ultimum sporangium germination and damping-
off. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66:5340-5347.
Van Loon, L. C., Bakker, P. A. H. M., and Pieterse, C. M. J. 1998. Systemic resistance induced
by rhizosphere bacteria. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 36:453-483.
Van Peer, R., and Schippers, B. 1992. Lipopolysaccharides of plant-growth promoting
Pseudomonas sp. strain WCS417r induce resistance in carnation to Fusarium wilt. Neth. J.
Plant Pathol. 98:129-139.
Van Wees, S. C. M., Pieterse, C. M. J., Trijssenaar, A., Van’t Westende, Y., and Hartog, F. 1997.
Differential induction of systemic resistance in Arabidopsis by biocontrol bacteria. Mol.
Plant-Microbe Interact. 10:716-724.
Voisard, C., Keel, C., Haas, D., and Defago, G. 1989. Cyanide production by Pseudomonas
fluorescens helps suppress black root of tobacco under gnotobiotic conditions. EMBO J.
8:351-358.
Weller, D. M., and Cook, R. J. 1983. Suppression of take-all of wheat by seed treatments with
fluorescent pseudomonads. Phytopathology 73:463-469.
Weller, D. M., Raaijmakers, J., McSpadden Gardener, B., and Thomashow, L. M. 2002.
Microbial populations responsible for specific soil suppressiveness to plant pathogens. Annu.
Rev. Phytopathol. 40:309-348.
Wilhite, S. E., Lunsden, R. D., and Strancy, D. C. 2001. Peptide synthetase gene in Trichoderma
virens. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:5055-5062.

Suggested Readings
The following bibliography contains published texts that the authors feel have various
strengths and weaknesses related to experimental design, implementation, data presentation, and
interpretation of biocontrol research. It is intended to stimulate critical reflection and discussion
about various topics related to biocontrol and publication of scientific research. Titles in italics
are review articles that present a general introduction to the topic. Those in plain text are
suggested readings for classroom discussion and critique.
Instructors are encouraged to have students select one or two papers to review per class
session. The student should present a 15 min summary of the study objectives, key observations,
and the authors’ interpretations. Discussion should then ensue among all present regarding i) the
quality of the paper in terms of clarity, ii) the adequacy of the experimental design and
conclusions drawn from the data by the authors, iii) the knowledge and insights gained by the
students, and, iv) the novelty and significance of the work based on the assigned/associated
review articles. In directing such discussions, instructors are encouraged to advise students to
focus on the strengths of each work and their response to it in order to develop the habit and
posture of positive criticism.
Book References
Biological Control of Crop Diseases. 2002. S. Gnanamanickam ed. Marcel Dekker: New York,
NY.
Cook, R. J., and Baker, K. F. 1983. The Nature and Practice of Biological Control of Plant
Pathogens. American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN.
1. Introduction and History
Baker, K. F. 1987. Evolving concepts of biological control of plant pathogens. Annu. Rev.
Haas, D. and Defago, G. 2005. Biological control of soil-borne pathogens by fluorescent
pseudomonads. Nature Rev. Microbiol. 3:307-319.
Harman, G. E., Howell, C. R. Viterbo, A., Chet, I, and Lorito, M. 2004 Trichoderma species-
opportunistic, avirulent plant symbionts. Nature Rev. Microbiol. 2:43-56.
McSpadden Gardener, B. B., and Fravel, D. R. 2002. Biological control of plant pathogens:
Research, commercialization, and application in the USA. Online. Plant Health Progress
doi:10.1094/PHP-2002-0510-01-RV. (Also online
http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/biocontrol/top.html)
2. Mechanisms
Chisholm, S. T., Coaker, G., Day, B., and Staskawicz, B. J. 2006. Host-microbe interactions:
shaping the evolution of the plant immune response. Cell 124:803-814.
Raaijmakers, J. M., Vlami, M., and De Souza, J. T. 2002. Antibiotic production by bacterial
biocontrol agents. Anton. van Leeuw. 81:537-547.

Jones, R. W., and Prusky, D. 2002. Expression of an antifungal peptide in Saccharomyces: A
new approach for biological control of the post harvest disease caused by C. coccodes.
Ryu, C. M., Farag, M. A., Hu, C. H., Reddy, M. S., Wei, H. X., Paré, P. W., and Kloepper, J. W.
2003. Bacterial volatiles promote growth in Arabidopsis. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 100:4927-
4932.
Shishido, M., Miwa, C., Usami, T., Amemiya, Y., and Johnson, K. B. 2005. Biological control
efficiency of fusarium wilt of tomato by nonpathogenic F. oxysporum Fo-B2 in different
environments. Phytopathology 95:1072-1080.
Silva, H. S. A., Romeiro, R. S., Macagnan, D., Halfeld-Vieira, B. A., Pereira, M. C. B., and
Mounteer, A. 2004. Rhizobacterial induction of systemic resistance in tomato plants: non-
specific protection and increase in enzyme activities. Biol. Control. 29:288-295.
Vallad, G. E., and Goodman, R. M. 2004. Systemic acquired resistance and induced systemic
resistance in conventional agriculture: review and interpretation. Crop Sci. 44:1920-1934.
van Dijk, K., and Nelson, E. B. 2000. Fatty acid competition as a mechanism by which
Enterobacter cloacae suppresses Pythium ultimum sporangium germination and damping-
off. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66:5340-5347.
3. Microbial Diversity
Leadbetter, E.R. 2002. Prokaryotic Diversity: Form, Ecophysiology, and Habitat. Pages 19-32
in: Manual of Environmental Microbiology (2nd ed.), ASM Press, Washington DC.
Berg, G., Krechel, A., Ditz, M., Sikora, R. A., Ulrich, A., and Hallmann, J. 2005. Endophytic
and ectophytic potato-associated bacterial communities differ in structure and antagonistic
function against plant pathogenic fungi. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 51:215-229.
Joshi, R., and McSpadden Gardener, B. 2006. Identification and characterization of novel genetic
markers associated with biological control activities of Bacillus subtilis. Phytopathology
96:145-154.
Yin, B., Valinsky, L. Gao, X., Becker, J. O., and Borneman, J. 2003. Bacterial rRNA genes
associated with soil suppressiveness against the plant-parasitic nematode Heterodera
schachtii. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 1573-1580.
Yin, B., Valinsky, L., Gao, X., Becker, J. O., and Borneman, J. 2003. Identification of fungal
rDNA associated with soil suppressiveness against Heterodera schachtii using
oligonucleotide fingerprinting. Phytopathology 93:1006-1013.
4. Ecology of biocontrol
Kerry, B. 2000. Rhizosphere interactions and the exploitation of microbial agents for the
biological control of plant parasitic nematodes. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 38:423-441.
Anderson, L. M., Stockwell, V. O., and Loper, J. E. 2004. An extracellular protease of
Pseudomonas fluorescens inactivates antibiotics of Pantoea agglomerans. Phytopathology
94:1228-1234.
Kovach, J., Petzoldt, R., and Harman, G. E. 2000. Use of honey and bumble bees to disseminate
Trichoderma harzianum 1295-22 to strawberries for Botrytis control. Biol. Control 18:235-
242.

McSpadden Gardener, B., and Weller, D. 2001. Changes in populations of rhizosphere bacteria
associated with take-all disease of wheat. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:4414-4425.
Phillips, D. A., Fox, T. C., King, M. D., Bhuvaneswari, T. V., and Teuber, L. R. 2004. Microbial
products trigger amino acid exudation from plant roots. Plant Physiol. 136:2887-2994.
Schouten, A., Van den Berg, G., Edel-Hermann, V., Steinberg, C., Gautheron, N., Alabouvette,
C., De Vos, C. H., Lemanceau, P., and Raaijmakers, J. M. 2004. Defense responses of
Fusarium oxysporum to 2,4-DAPG, a broad spectrum antibiotic produced by Pseudomonas
fluorescens. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 17:1201-1211.
5. Soilborne disease control
Sikora, R. 1992. Management of antagonistic potential in agricultural ecosystems for the

biological control of plant parasitic nematodes. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 30:245-270.
Weller, D. M., Raaijmakers, J., McSpadden Gardener, B., and Thomashow, L. S. 2002.
Microbial populations responsible for specific soil suppressivenes. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol.
40:309-348.
Cook, R. J., Weller, D. M., Youssef El-Banna, A., Vakoch, D., and Zhang, H. 2002. Yield
responses of direct-seeded wheat to rhizobacteria and fungicide seed treatments. Plant Dis.
86:780-784.
Ramette, A., Moënne-Loccoz, Y., and Défago, G. 2003. Prevalence of fluorescent
pseudomonads producing antifungal phloroglucinols and/or hydrogen cyanide in soils
naturally suppressive or conducive to tobacco root rot. FEMS Microb. Ecol. 44:35-43.
McSpadden Gardener, B. B., Gutierrez, L. J., Joshi, R., Edema, R., and Lutton, E. 2005.
Distribution of phlD+ bacteria in corn and soybean fields. Phytopathology 95:715-724.
Scheuerell, S. J., Sullivan, D. M., and Mahaffee, W. F. 2005. Suppression of seedling damping-
off caused by Pythium ultimum, P. irregulare, and Rhizoctonia solani in container media
amended with a diverse range of Pacific Northwest compost sources. Phytopathology
95:306-315.
6. Foliar and above-ground disease control
Andrews, J. 1992. Biological control in the phyllosphere. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 30:603-633.
Milgroom, M., and Cortesi, P. 2004. Biological control of chestnut blight with hypoviulence: A
critical review. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 42:311-338.
Johnson, K. B., Stockwell, V. O., Sawyer, T. L., and Sugar, D. 2000. Assessment of
environmental factors influencing growth and spread of Pantoea agglomerans on and
among blossoms of pear and apple. Phytopathology 90:1285-1294.
Kessel, G. J. T., Köhl, J., Powell, J. A., Rabbinge, R., and Van der Werf, W. 2005. Modeling
spatial characteristics in the biological control of fungi at the leaf scale: Competitive
substrate colonization by Botrytis cinerea and the saprophytic antagonist Ulocladium
atrum. Phytopathology 95:439-448.
Stockwell, V. O., Johnson, K. B., Sugar, D., and Loper, J. E. 2002. Antibiosis contributes to
biological control of fire blight by Pantoea agglomerans strain Eh252 in orchards.
Thomson, S. V., and Gouk, S. C. 2003. Influence of age of apple flowers on growth of Erwinia
amylovora and biological control agents. Plant Dis. 87:502-509.

7. Postharvest disease control
Janisiewicz, W. and Korsten, L. 2002. Biological control of postharvest diseases of fruits. Annu.
Rev. Phytopathol. 40:411-441.
de Capdeville, G., Wilson, C. L., Beer, S. V., and Aist, J. R. 2002. Alternative disease control
agents induce resistance to blue mold in harvested ‘Red Delicious’ apple fruit.
El-Ghaouth, A., Smilanick, J. L., Brown, G. E., Ippolito, A., Wisniewski, M., and Wilson, C. L.
2000. Application of Candida saitoana and glycolchitosan for the control of postharvest
diseases of apple and citrus fruit under semi-commercial conditions. Plant Dis. 84:243-248.
Janisiewicz, W. J., and Peterson, D. L. 2004. Susceptibility of the stem pull area of mechanically
harvested apples to blue mold decay and its control with a biocontrol agent. Plant Dis.
88:662-664.
8. Commercialization
Fravel, D. 2005. Commercialization and implementation of biocontrol. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol.

43:337-359.
Paulitz, T., and Belanger, R. 2001. Biological control in greenhouse systems. Annu. Rev.
Elliott, M. L., Jardin, E. A. D., Batson, W. E., Caceres, J., Brannen, P. M., Howell, C. R.,
Benson, D. M., Conway, K. E., Rothrock, C. S., Schneider, R. W., Ownley, B. H.,
Canaday, C. H., Keinath, A. P., Huber, D. M., Sumner, D. R., Motsenbocker, C. E.,
Thaxton, P. M., Cubeta, M. A., Adams, P. D, Backman, P. A., Fajardo, J., Newman, M. A.,
and Pereira, R. M. 2001. Viability and stability of biological control agents on cotton and
snap bean seeds. Pest Mgmt. Sci. 57:695-706.
Batson, Jr., W. E., Caceres, J., Benson, M., Cubeta, M. A., Elliott, M. L., Huber, D. M.,
Hickman, M. V., McLean, K. S., Ownley, B., Newman, M., Rothrock, C. S., Rushing, K.
W., Kenny, D. S., and P. Thaxton. 2001. Biological seed treatment evalutations for control
of the seedling disease complex of cotton, 2000. B&C Tests 16:F12.
Batson, Jr., W.E., Caceres, J., Benson, M., Cubeta, M. A., Elliott, M. L., Huber, D. M.,
Hickman, M. V., Keinath, A. P., Dubose, V., McLean, K. S., Ownley, B., Canaday, C.,
Rushing, K. W., and Kenny, D. S. 2001. Biological seed treatment evalutations for control
of the seedling disease complex of snap bean, 2000. B&C Tests 16:V81
Bargabus, R. L., Zidack, N. K., Sherwood, J. W., and Jacobsen, B. J. 2004. Screening for the
identification of potential biological control agents that induce systemic acquired resistance
in sugarbeet. Biol. Control 30:342-350.
Mercier, J., and Lindow, S. E. 2001. Field performance of antagonistic bacteria identified in a
novel assay for biological control of fireblight. Biol. Control 22:66-71.
Wang, H., Hwang, S. F., Chang, K. F., Turnbull, G. D., and Howard, R. J. 2003. Suppression of
important pea diseases by bacterial antagonists. BioControl 48:447-460.

9. Regulations and Risk Assessment
Van Lenteren, J.C., Babendreier, D., Bigler, F., Burgio, G., Hokkanen, H. M. T., Kuske, S.,
Loomans, A. J. M., Menzler-Hokkanen, I., Van Rijn, P. C. J., Thomas, M. B., Tommasini,
M. G., and Zeng, Q.- Q. 2003. Environmental risk assessment of exotic natural enemies
used in inundative biological control. BioControl 48:3–38.
Bloom, B., Ehlers, R., Haukeland-Salinas, S., Hoddanen, H., Jung, K., Kuhlmann, U.,
Ravensberg, W., Strasser, H., Warrior, P., and Wilson, M. 2003. Biological control agents:
Safety and regulatory policy. BioControl 48:477-484.
Bankhead, S. B., Landa, B. B., Lutton, E., Weller, D. M., and McSpadden Gardener, B. B. 2004.
Minimal changes in rhizosphere population structure following root colonization by wild
type and transgenic biocontrol strains. FEMS Microb. Ecol 49:307-318.
Timms-Wilson, T. M., Kilshaw, K., and Bailey, M. J. 2004. Risk assessment for engineered
bacteria used in biocontrol of fungal disease in agricultural crops. Plant Soil 266:57-67.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1996. Microbial pesticide test guidelines. OPPTS
885.0001. Overview for microbial pest control agents. EPA 712-C-96-280.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1996. Microbial pesticide test guidelines. OPPTS
885.5000. Background for microbial pesticide testing. EPA 712-C-96-056.
10. Integration
Cook, R. 1993. Making greater use of microbial inoculants in agriculture. Annu. Rev.
Rodrigues, L. C. and Niemeyer, H. M. 2005. Integrated pest management, semiochemicals and
microbial pest-control agents in Latin American agriculture. Crop Protection 24:615-623.
Jacobsen, B. J., Zidack, N. K., and Larson, B. J. 2004. The role of Bacillus-based biological
control agents in integrated pest management systems: Plant diseases. Phytopathology
94:1272-1275.
Guetsky, R., Shtienberg, D., Elad, Y., and Dinoor, A. 2001. Combining biocontrol agents to
reduce the variability of biological control. Phytopathology 91:621-627.
Raupach, G. S., and Kloepper, J. W. 1998. Mixtures of PGPR enhance biological control of
multiple cucumber pathogens. Phytopathology 88:1158-1164.
Spadaro, D., and Gullino, M. L. 2005. Improving the efficacy of biocontrol agents against
soilborne pathogens. Crop Prot. 24:601-613.
Stevens, C., Khan, V. A., Rodriguez-Kabana, R., Ploper, L. D., Backman, P. A., Collins, D. J.,
Brown, J. E., Wilson, M. A., and Igwegbe, E. C. K. 2003. Integration of soil solarization
with chemical, biological, and cultural control for the management of soilborne disease of
vegetables. Plant Soil 253:493-506.

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Pal, K. K. and B. McSpadden Gardener, 2006. Biological Control of Plant Pathogens.

The Plant Health

Biological Control of Plant Pathogens

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 1

Published definitions of biocontrol differ depending on the target of suppression; number,

Types of interactions contributing to biological control

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 2

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 3

Mechanisms of biological control

Table 1. Types of interspecies antagonisms leading to biological control of plant pathogens.

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 4

Hyperparasites and predation

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 5

Table 2. Some of antibiotics produced by BCAs

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 6

Lytic enzymes and other byproducts of microbial life

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 7

Other microbial byproducts also may contribute to pathogen suppression. Hydrogen

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 8

Induction of host resistance

Plants actively respond to a variety of environmental stimuli, including gravity, light,

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 9

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 10

Microbial diversity and disease suppression

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 11

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 12

Biocontrol research, development, and adoption

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 13

1. The ecology of plant-associated microbes

2. Application of current strains/inoculant strategies

3. Discovering novel strains and mechanisms of action

4. Practical integration into agricultural systems

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 14

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 15

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 16

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 17

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 18

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 19

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 20

1. Introduction and History

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 21

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 22

5. Soilborne disease control

Sikora, R. 1992. Management of antagonistic potential in agricultural ecosystems for the

6. Foliar and above-ground disease control

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 23

Fravel, D. 2005. Commercialization and implementation of biocontrol. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol.

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 24

The Plant Health Instructor, 2006 Biological Control, page 25

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