Success evaluation of the biological control of Fusarium wilts of cucumber, banana, and tomato since 2000 and future research strategies

Abstract

The Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum strains is the most devastating disease of cucumber, banana, and tomato. The biological control of this disease has become an attractive alternative to the chemical fungicides and other conventional control methods. In this review, the research trends and biological control efficiencies (BCE) of different microbial strains since 2000 are reviewed in detail, considering types of microbial genera, inoculum application methods, plant growth medium and conditions, inoculum application with amendments, and co-inoculation of different microbial strains and how those affect the BCE of Fusarium wilt. The data evaluation showed that the BCE of biocontrol agents was higher against the Fusarium wilt of cucumber compared to the Fusarium wilts of banana and tomato. Several biocontrol agents mainly Bacillus, Trichoderma, Pseudomonas, nonpathogenic Fusarium, and Penicillium strains were evaluated to control Fusarium wilt, but still this lethal disease could not be controlled completely. We have discussed different reasons of inconsistent results and recommendations for the betterment of BCE in the future. This review provides knowledge of the biotechnology of biological control of Fusarium wilt of cucumber, banana, and tomato in a nut shell that will provide researchers a beginning line to start and to organize and plan research for the future studies.

Co‐inoculation ofBacillussp. andPseudomonas putidaat different development stages acts as a biostimulant to promote growth, yield and nutrient uptake of tomato

“…Bacillus amyloliquefaciens was reported as bio‐control that improves soil health and disease resistance in plant and fruiting stages (Raza et al . ; Shahzad et al . ).…”

Biocontrol Potential of Fungal Endophytes against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum Causing Wilt in Cucumber

“…This strategy is very promising for the improvement of crop productivity and as an alternative to chemical fungicides and synthetic fertilizers (Wang et al, 2016; Wu et al, 2016). Numerous attempts were made to control wilt disease through biocontrol agents using endophytic fungi and bacteria (Aydi Ben Abdallah et al, 2016; Hong et al, 2007; Raza et al, 2017; Saravanakumar et al, 2016). On the other hand, the utilization of different endophytic fungi isolated from diverse host plant species as biocontrol agents against fungal pathogens of cucumber crop in in vitro and in greenhouse conditions was seldom found (Raza et al, 2017).…”

“…Numerous attempts were made to control wilt disease through biocontrol agents using endophytic fungi and bacteria (Aydi Ben Abdallah et al, 2016; Hong et al, 2007; Raza et al, 2017; Saravanakumar et al, 2016). On the other hand, the utilization of different endophytic fungi isolated from diverse host plant species as biocontrol agents against fungal pathogens of cucumber crop in in vitro and in greenhouse conditions was seldom found (Raza et al, 2017). In the present study, endophytic fungi were screened for their potential to inhibit the growth of FOC causing wilt in cucumber and to suppress the cucumber Fusarium wilt and for promotion of plant growth.…”

“…The biological control of this disease has become an attractive alternative to chemical fungicides and other conventional control methods. Several biocontrol agents mainly Bacillus , Trichoderma , Pseudomonas , nonpathogenic Fusarium , and Penicillium strains were evaluated to control Fusarium wilt, but still this lethal disease could not be controlled completely (Raza et al, 2017; Vos et al, 2014). In search of the potential biological control agent against several pathogens, one approach is recently being practiced, which is the isolation of different endophytes from diverse host species, because endophytic fungi have been reported to play a key role in numerous functions of the plants due to its nature of producing novel bioactive compounds.…”

Fermentation of Foc TR4-infected bananas and Trichoderma spp

“…However, fermentation of banana pseudostems in the field using the Trichoderma isolates described above is time-consuming, which is a disadvantage for farmers. Our next research objective will be to speed up this fermentation process (Zhang and Yang, 2015), improve the inoculum application method, conduct co-inoculation with different microbial strains, and determine how those modifications affect the biological control of Fusarium wilt (Raza et al, 2016).…”