Biological control of fruit pathogens

Abstract

Disease management in fruit crops worldwide is heavily dependent upon the application of synthetic fungicides for pathogen control However restrictions on fungicide use and widespread emergence of pathogen resistance has increased global demand for more sustainable production systems and driven research towards alternative disease control strategies Biological control which includes elicitors of host defence microbial antagonists and natural products offers an attractive alternative to synthetic pesticides This paper reviews the commercialisation of biological control agents for botrytis in grapes (BOTRYZen) and fire blight in apples and pears (Blossom Bless PomaVita) and the development of a biological control agent for sclerotinia in kiwifruit The importance of understanding disease epidemiology as a prerequisite for developing a biological control system is discussed along with future prospects for biological control of these pathogens