Microbial Bioagents in Agriculture: Current Status and Prospects

Bioagents are widely used in agri-horticultural ecosystem as plant protectants which have profound impact on plant community through enhancing plant growth, biotic and abiotic tolerance to host. Biological control is the way of controlling of plant disease by the application of fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes, and viruses (bacteriophages). It has been estimated that rupees 60,000 crores worth of crop are lost each year due to plant diseases. The degree of plant disease control/disease suppression achieved with biological agents can be comparable to that achieved with chemicals. In India, the maximum crop protectants used are insecticides (65%), herbicides (15%), fungicides (15%), and rodenticides or nematocides (4%) but at global level herbicides (45%) are used more followed by fungicides (27%), insecticides (15%), and other chemicals (7%). India is one of the fourth largest producers of pesticides (1,39,000 tonnes/annum) in the world after the USA, Japan, and China. As per estimates, Indian bioagents market is equivalent to 2.5% of total pesticides market with worth of rupees 690 crores. Indiscriminate and non-judicious use of synthetic pesticide for preventing and controlling crop diseases adversely affects the environment, microbiome, development of resistance, and hormoligosis in several plant pathogens and also acts as serious non-tariff barrier to trade of farm commodities.