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This article discusses the need for effective biocontrol methods to protect crops from pests and pathogens in the face of increasing global food demand and changing dietary preferences. The use of fungi, bacteria, natural compounds, insects, non-host plants, and even fish as biocontrol agents is explored. The article highlights various studies that have investigated the potential of these biocontrol agents, including microbial communities, to control plant diseases and pests. It also emphasizes the importance of preserving and boosting already known beneficial organisms and considering the impact of pest control methods on the environment and other living organisms. Overall, the article emphasizes the urgent need for innovative strategies to protect crops and ensure global food security. [Extracted from the article]

Botrytis cinerea poses a recurring threat to viticulture, causing significant yield losses each year. The study explored the biocontrol capabilities of commercially used winemaking yeasts as a strategy to manage B. cinerea in grape berries. The winemaking yeast strains— Saccharomyces cerevisiae ES181, Saccharomyces pastorianus KBG6, S. cerevisiae BCS103, Lachancea thermotolerans Omega, and Torulaspora delbrueckii TD291-reduced B. cinerea growth and conidiation in vitro. Furthermore, they demonstrated a decreased disease severity and number of conidia in grape berries. Among these strains, S. cerevisiae BCS103 was the most effective, inducing the expression of the defense-related gene PR4 in berries. Its diffusible compounds and volatile organic compounds also reduced the expression of BcLTF2 , a positive regulator of B. cinerea conidiogenesis. The examined winemaking yeast strains, especially S. cerevisiae BCS103, demonstrated effective inhibition of B. cinerea in vitro and in grape berries, influencing key defense genes and reducing BcLTF2 expression, offering potential solutions for disease management in viticulture. The study underscores the promise of commercially available winemaking yeast strains as eco-friendly tools against B. cinerea in viticulture. Leveraging their safety and existing use in winemaking offers a potential avenue for sustainable disease management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive study was conducted on the prevalence of grapevine trunk diseases in Greece, focusing specifically on contamination of grapevine propagation material by Phaeomoniella chlamydospora and black foot disease‐related species. Additionally, detection of esca pathogen Fomitiporia mediterranea, causing white rot in grapevine and other woody hosts, was assessed using a new PCR‐based assay that distinguishes F. mediterranea from F. punctata. Development of a nested PCR assay, combined with a cost‐effective DNA extraction protocol, revealed a high percentage of infection by P. chlamydospora (51%) and Ilyonectria species associated with black foot disease (28%) in different types of grapevine propagation material (dormant cuttings, field‐rooted benchgrafts and green‐growing plants). Interestingly, black foot disease‐related pathogens were more prevalent in nursery plants grown in the field for 6 months (57%) than in other types of propagation material and compared with P. chlamydospora (43%), indicating increased infection of propagation material during growth in the nursery field. The cost‐effective molecular method developed in this study could be used in mass inspections of propagation material for phytosanitary purposes. Finally, using primers specific for F. mediterranea and F. puncata developed in this study, combined with the universal ITS4 primer, a collection of Fomitiporia isolates from mature grapevine and other woody hosts from Greece and Italy (southern Europe) were characterized as F. mediterranea, whereas German and Swedish isolates from forest plants (central Europe) were classified as F. punctata. The developed primers can discriminate between the two Fomitiporia species, which are indistinguishable based on culture and morphological characteristics alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-year survey was conducted to estimate the incidence of grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) in Greece and identify fungi associated with the disease complex. In total, 310 vineyards in different geographical regions in northern, central, and southern Greece were surveyed, and 533 fungal strains were isolated from diseased vines. Morphological, physiological and molecular (5.8S rRNA gene-ITS sequencing) analyses revealed that isolates belonged to 35 distinct fungal genera, including well-known (e.g., Botryosphaeria sp., Diaporthe spp., Eutypa sp., Diplodia sp., Fomitiporia sp., Phaeoacremonium spp., Phaeomoniella sp.) and lesser-known (e.g., Neosetophoma sp., Seimatosporium sp., Didymosphaeria sp., Kalmusia sp.) grapevine wood inhabitants. The GTDs-inducing population structure differed significantly among the discrete geographical zones. Phaeomoniella chlamydospora (26.62%, n = 70), Diaporthe spp. (18.25%, n = 48) and F. mediterranea (10.27%, n = 27) were the most prevalent in Heraklion, whereas D. seriata, Alternaria spp., P. chlamydospora and Fusarium spp. were predominant in Nemea (central Greece). In Amyntaio and Kavala (northern Greece), D. seriata was the most frequently isolated species (>50% frequency). Multi-genes (rDNA-ITS, LSU, tef1-α, tub2, act) sequencing of selected isolates, followed by pathogenicity tests, revealed that Neosetophoma italica, Seimatosporium vitis, Didymosphaeria variabile and Kalmusia variispora caused wood infection, with the former being the most virulent. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of N. italica associated with GTDs worldwide. This is also the first record of K. variispora, S. vitis and D. variabile associated with wood infection of grapevine in Greece. The potential associations of disease indices with vine age, cultivar, GTD-associated population structure and the prevailing meteorological conditions in different viticultural zones in Greece are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of zeolite in agriculture as a soil additive has strongly increased in the last decade. However, little experimental evidence exists about the plant protective potential of zeolite and its mode of action. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the activity of zeolite to control the soil‐borne pathogens Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Rhizoctonia solani in lettuce. Incorporation of zeolite at a rate of 10% into S. sclerotiorum‐infested soil resulted in significant plant protection, accompanied by increased growth compared with the control plants, whereas zeolite was not effective against R. solani. The plant protective activity of zeolite was studied in association with its potential to induce systemic resistance. For this purpose, the expression of pathogenesis‐related (PR) gene PR1, LIPOXYGENASE (LOX) and ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 1 (ERF1), marker genes of the salicylic acid (SA), jasmonate (JA) and ethylene (ET) dependent defence, respectively, was assessed. Upon infection of lettuce with S. sclerotiorum, zeolite induced the accumulation of LOX and ERF1 transcripts with time. Therefore, it is suggested that zeolite primes the ET/JA‐dependent defence against S. sclerotiorum. In contrast, zeolite‐treated plants showed decreasing levels of LOX and ERF1 transcripts in plants infected with R. solani with time. This discrepancy in the regulation of plant defence mechanisms may explain the contrasting plant protective activity of zeolite against S. sclerotiorum and R. solani. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]