Biological Control of Plant Diseases

In recent years, due to the ever-increasing population, the supply of quality food has become a major concern worldwide. Phytopathogenic fungi cause severe damage to crops worldwide and thus significantly reduce the quality and quantity of agricultural products. On the other hand, reducing the use of chemical pesticides in agriculture is a global goal. Meanwhile, different biological control methods, strategies and approaches are used in the management of plant diseases. Biological control is one of these critical techniques that is currently in priority. Biological control is an environmentally friendly and effective way to reduce the effects of plant diseases. In fact, the rhizosphere of plants supports the development and activity of a large and diverse community of microbial organisms, including plant growth promoting organisms. That these organisms can be used in the biological control of plant diseases. Fungi can be mentioned among these growth enhancing factors. Antagonists of fungi play an important role in the control of pathogenic and plant diseases and are used as biological control agents (BCAs) worldwide. These biological agents use various mechanisms such as activating defense reactions, antibiosis, plant growth stimulation, antibiotic production, and increasing the absorption of nutrients to control plant diseases. Finally, it can be said that the use of these factors significantly reduces the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.