Phage Mediated Biocontrol: A Promising Green Solution for Sustainable Agriculture

• Published in: Indian journal of microbiology Vol. 64; no. 2; pp. 318 - 327
• Main Authors: Jaglan, Anu Bala, Vashisth, Medhavi, Sharma, Priya, Verma, Ravikant, Virmani, Nitin, Bera, Bidhan C., Vaid, Rajesh K., Singh, Raj K., Anand, Taruna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Delhi Springer India 01.06.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Bacterial diseases; Biological control; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Crop damage; Crop production; Disease resistance; Farm buildings; Food consumption; Food contamination; Food plants; Food quality; Food security; Host plants; Host specificity; Impact resistance; Land resources; Life Sciences; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; Microbiomes; Pathogens; Pest control; Pesticides; Phages; Plant bacterial diseases; Plant diseases; Plant protection; Predators; Review Article; Sustainable agriculture; World population; Plant microbiome; Crop protection; Bacteriophage; Phage resistance
• ISSN: 0046-8991; 0973-7715
• DOI: 10.1007/s12088-024-01204-x

In the current scenario of growing world population, limited cultivable land resources, plant diseases, and pandemics are some of the major factors responsible for declining global food security. Along with meeting the food demand, the maintenance of food quality is also required to ensure healthy consumption and marketing. In agricultural fields, pest infestations and bacterial diseases are common causes of crop damage, leading to massive yield losses. Conventionally, antibiotics and several pesticides have been used to manage and control these plant pathogens. However, the overuse of antibiotics and pesticides has led to the emergence of resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria. The bacteriophages are the natural predators of bacteria and are host-specific in their action. Therefore, the use of bacteriophages for the biocontrol of pathogenic bacteria is serving as a sustainable and green solution in crop protection and production. In this review, we have discussed the important plant pathogens and their impact on plant health and yield loss. Further, we have abridged the role of bacteriophages in the protection of crops from bacterial disease by discussing various greenhouse and field trials. Finally, we have discussed the impact of bacteriophages on the plant microbiome, phage resistance, and legal challenges in the registration and commercial production of bacteriophage-based biopesticides.