Jul 2026· International Journal of Science and Research Archive· Vol 20, pp. 150-157· 0 citations
TL;DR
It is concluded that the contemporary management of plant-pathogenic diseases should go beyond the single-method approach and use CRISPR and LAMP techniques, artificial intelligence, and biocontrol, RNA spraying, and nanotechnology are possible solutions which could minimize the over-reliance on chemicals.
Abstract
Plant-pathogenic fungi still constitute one of the most significant biological constraints on agricultural productivity, food safety, and sustainable agriculture. It has become increasingly challenging to mitigate their effects due to the effects of climatic variability, monoculture, plant material transport across national borders, greenhouse production, fungicide resistance, and others. While classical diagnostics based on symptoms, microscopic observations, isolations, and morphology are still vital in practice, they are often slow and expertise-reliant and fail to provide the necessary early warning. The present review article explores contemporary developments in the diagnostics and management of plant-pathogenic fungi with a particular emphasis on CRISPR-based methods of diagnostics, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), portable diagnostics, artificial intelligence (AI), disease suppression via the manipulation of microbiomes, biological control, RNA-based protection of crops, nanotechnology, and integrated disease management. It is concluded that the contemporary management of plant-pathogenic diseases should go beyond the single-method approachCRISPR and LAMP techniques advance pathogen detection during initial stages of infection; artificial intelligence helps with image-assisted disease diagnosis and prediction; microbiome science reveals the mechanisms underlying the suppression of pathogens by beneficial microbial communities; and biocontrol, RNA spraying, and nanotechnology are possible solutions which could minimize the over-reliance on chemicals. Nonetheless, the application of these innovations demands field testing, cost-effectiveness evaluation, biosafety assessment, and adaptation to local conditions. Plant pathogenic fungal diseases management in the future will be about using diagnostic and preventive approaches and decision support systems that can be used by scientists, extension agents, and farmers.
This critical narrative review evaluates technologies that could materially change how nematode risk is detected, prevented and suppressed and concludes the strongest near-term case is not for a stand-alone ‘revolutionary’ product but for an information-led integrated system.
K. Premalatha, J. Meenakshi· Journal of Advances in Biolo...· 0 citations
Bacterial plant diseases remain a major problem for sustainable crop production worldwide, and innovative methods are needed to solve the plant disease problem that goes beyond the traditional method of using chemicals. The traditional management approach, based largely on antibiotic use and bactericide use or copper, is facing challenges due to AMR crisis and safety issues for the environment. The review highlights the advances in use of bacteriophages as precise, environmentally friendly and environmentally stable biocontrol agents of phytopathogenic bacteria. It explains the mechanism of action of phages such as killing bacteria through lytic action, via the use of phage-derived enzymes and by disrupting protective bacterial biofilms by enzyme action. Recent case studies and commercial product evaluations shed light on the effectiveness of phage therapy in opposing significant agricultural pathogens, such as Xanthomonas species, Pseudomonas species, and Erwinia amylovora. Host-range properties, environmental constraints and complex regulatory hurdles are discussed. These constraints have been overcome by recent developments in computational biology, omics-driven discovery and innovative formulation strategies such as phage cocktails and microencapsulation. In the future, synthetic biology and nanotechnology will improve the performance and stability of phage. Together, these advances are pointing to a bright future in the application of phage-based biocontrol in sustainable and resilient plant health management practices.
Zeenat Niaz, Adil Zahoor, Junaid Hassan et al.· Integrative Plant Biotechnol...· 0 citations
Filamentous fungi of the genus Trichoderma, commonly found in the rhizosphere, are a prevalent component of various soil ecosystem mycobiomes and are known for their ability to colonize plant roots. Understanding Trichoderma's characteristics, including its metabolic activity and interactions with plants and other microorganisms, is crucial for its effective application in agriculture. Interest in Trichoderma is growing due to its direct and indirect biocontrol capabilities against a wide spectrum of soil-borne phytopathogens. These fungi employ a range of complex mechanisms, such as mycoparasitism, degradation of pathogen cell walls, competition for nutrients and space, and activation of plant defence responses. Given the continuous threat posed to plants by various pathogens, particularly filamentous fungi, and the increasing resistance of these pathogens to chemical pesticides, there is a pressing need to develop alternative biological protection strategies. Among non-pathogenic microorganisms, Trichoderma stands out as a promising candidate for sustainable agricultural practices due to its extensive biofertilization and bio stimulatory properties. Most Trichoderma species function as plant growth-promoting fungi, capable of producing phytohormones and the enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase. This review consolidates current knowledge on the role of Trichoderma, emphasizing its significance in promoting plant growth and its effectiveness in the biocontrol of fungal phytopathogens.
S. Rana, V. Saini, Zehra Husaini et al.· Progressive Agriculture· 0 citations
More than 50% of the world's population is reliant on rice (Oryza sativa L.) as their main dietary source, but harmful fungal diseases are a constant threat to its production. Each year, significant yield losses occur due to pathogens like Rhizoctonia solani (sheath blight), Magnaporthe oryzae (rice blast) and Ustilaginoidea virens (false smut). The frequent use of chemical fungicides used to treat these diseases have led to the development of tolerance pathogen stress and serious environmental issues. A viable and long-term alternative is biological control, which makes use of more beneficial microorganisms called biocontrol agents (BCAs). This review summarizes recent findings on the use and actual mechanisms of BCAs against the primary rice fungal pathogens. We analyze the variety of microbial antagonists, which comprise the fungal and bacterial genera Trichoderma and Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Streptomyces and other endophytic fungi. These BCAs have a variety of functional mechanisms, include competition for nutrients and space, direct hostility through mycoparasitism, and antibiosis, as well as indirect mechanisms such as the induction of systemic resistance (ISR) in the host plant and plant growth promotion (PGP).We discuss a variety of methods of application, like as foliar sprays, soil inoculation, and seed dressing, and focus on the significance of developing stable and efficient formulations. In order to improve the efficacy and reliability of biocontrol in rice agroecosystems, we deal with the issues preventing the broad use of BCAs, such as uneven field performance and regulatory barriers, and we suggest future research possibilities, such as the development of synthetic microbial consortia and the application of multi-omics technologies.
Mycotoxin contamination caused by fungal pathogens remains a persistent threat to global food security, while the long-standing reliance on synthetic fungicides is increasingly challenged by resistance development and toxicological concerns. Here, we synthesize current knowledge on mycotoxin ecology and present to our knowledge, for the first time an integrated functional framework linking postharvest microbiome modulation with practical control strategies. Our analysis shows that beneficial microbial consortia suppress mycotoxigenic fungi through complementary mechanisms, including competitive exclusion, mycoparasitism, and enzymatic detoxification. We further classify these microbial antagonists according to their ecological niches and functional interactions within stored-product systems, providing a high-resolution perspective on the role of the plant-associated microbiome as a target for intervention. In parallel, we evaluate recent advances in multi-omics approaches and artificial intelligence (AI), highlighting their potential to shift mycotoxin management from reactive detection to proactive risk prediction. The integration of sensor-based storage systems, automated monitoring, and explainable AI (XAI) is proposed as a scalable strategy for real-time identification and mitigation of contamination risks. We conclude that postharvest mycotoxin control is moving toward a digital-biological paradigm, in which microbiome engineering and intelligent monitoring systems provide sustainable, residue-free alternatives to chemical interventions. Future research should focus on validating these integrated approaches under real storage conditions, improving their scalability, and ensuring accessibility across diverse agricultural systems.
Ajay Kumar, Vivek Kumar Gaur, Amit Kaushik et al.· Journal of Food Protection· 0 citations
Microbial technologies are increasingly promoted as a route to lower the environmental burden of crop production while sustaining yields, yet the distance between mechanistic promise and reliable field performance remains substantial. This critical narrative review examines the current state of three interlinked domains: the ecology of plant–microbe interactions, the development of biofertilisers and microbial inoculants, and the emerging practice of microbiome engineering. The literature was identified and verified through Crossref Metadata Search and the international Digital Object Identifier resolution system, complemented by citation tracing of recent reviews, with an emphasis on peer-reviewed evidence published between 2011 and 2026. The synthesis shows that the conceptual foundations of the field, including community assembly, host filtering and the holobiont perspective, are comparatively secure, whereas the translation of these principles into dependable agronomic tools is not. Mechanisms of plant growth promotion such as phytohormone modulation, nutrient mobilisation and induced systemic resistance are well characterised under controlled conditions, but their expression in the field is strongly modulated by soil context, host genotype, resident community resistance and formulation quality. The evidence for engineered associative nitrogen fixation in cereals, host-mediated microbiome selection and synthetic community design is mechanistically compelling yet largely confined to proof-of-concept studies. Recurrent weaknesses include short experimental horizons, geographical concentration of trials, inconsistent reporting and a scarcity of independent replication, which together sustain an efficacy–reproducibility gap. The most defensible near-term gains lie in resident-aware inoculant design, standardised multi-site trialling and the integration of microbiome phenotypes into crop breeding, while the ecological and biosafety implications of deliberate microbiome manipulation require structured assessment. Confidence in current conclusions is calibrated accordingly, and priorities are proposed to move the field from descriptive potential towards demonstrated agronomic value.
D. Kanchana, Kavya C Kademani, R. Murali et al.· Journal of Advances in Micro...· 0 citations
