Management of Phytopathogens by Antagonistic Bacillus spp in Tomato Crop

Abstract

Bacillus is a genus of gram-positive bacteria that is widely distributed in the environment. The species of this genus present in the endosphere, phyllosphere and rhizosphere in the plant and perform as a beneficial biocontrol agent and promote plant health. These strains exhibit diverse capabilities, including the potentiality to directly suppress the germination of microbial, stimulate plant development, reduce pathogen infections, degrade different types of hydrocarbons, function effectively across a wide temperature range, and induce immune resistance in host plants. The species/strains of Bacillus genus have proven promising biocontrol agents against a large number of fungal and bacterial causal organism, as well as plant-damaging insects. They induce a wide range of composites with antifungal properties, such as iturin, surfactin, cyclic lipopeptides, bacillomycin, bacteriocins, polyketide, lentibiotics, phospholipid, polyketide microlectine, isocosmarin and amino sugar. These compounds play a crucial role in preventing and controlling diseases in plants. The synthesis of these compounds is initiated in response to the presence of bacterial and fungal pathogen biomass and their cell walls. The purpose of this review is to offer a thorough exploration of the disease suppression mechanisms utilized by Bacillus, with a specific emphasis on their function as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR).