Beneficial Microorganisms as Bioprotectants against Foliar Diseases of Cereals: A Review
Ilham Dehbi,
Oussama Achemrk,
Rachid Ezzouggari,
Moussa El Jarroudi,
Fouad Mokrini,
Ikram Legrifi,
Zineb Belabess,
Salah-Eddine Laasli,
Hamid Mazouz,
Rachid Lahlali
Affiliations
Ilham Dehbi
Phytopathology Unit, Department of Plant Protection, Ecole National of Agriculture Meknes, Km10, Rte Haj Kaddour, BP S/40, Meknes 50001, Morocco
Oussama Achemrk
Phytopathology Unit, Department of Plant Protection, Ecole National of Agriculture Meknes, Km10, Rte Haj Kaddour, BP S/40, Meknes 50001, Morocco
Rachid Ezzouggari
Phytopathology Unit, Department of Plant Protection, Ecole National of Agriculture Meknes, Km10, Rte Haj Kaddour, BP S/40, Meknes 50001, Morocco
Moussa El Jarroudi
Department of Environmental Sciences and Management, SPHERES Research Unit, University of Liège, 6700 Arlon, Belgium
Fouad Mokrini
Biotechnology Unit, Regional Center of Agricultural Research, INRA–Morocco, Rabat 10080, Morocco
Ikram Legrifi
Phytopathology Unit, Department of Plant Protection, Ecole National of Agriculture Meknes, Km10, Rte Haj Kaddour, BP S/40, Meknes 50001, Morocco
Zineb Belabess
Plant Protection Laboratory, Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Meknes, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Km 13, Route Haj Kaddour, BP 578, Meknes 50001, Morocco
Salah-Eddine Laasli
Phytopathology Unit, Department of Plant Protection, Ecole National of Agriculture Meknes, Km10, Rte Haj Kaddour, BP S/40, Meknes 50001, Morocco
Hamid Mazouz
Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Moulay Ismail University, BP 11201, Zitoune, Meknes 50000, Morocco
Rachid Lahlali
Phytopathology Unit, Department of Plant Protection, Ecole National of Agriculture Meknes, Km10, Rte Haj Kaddour, BP S/40, Meknes 50001, Morocco
Cereal production plays a major role in both animal and human diets throughout the world. However, cereal crops are vulnerable to attacks by fungal pathogens on the foliage, disrupting their biological cycle and photosynthesis, which can reduce yields by 15–20% or even 60%. Consumers are concerned about the excessive use of synthetic pesticides given their harmful effects on human health and the environment. As a result, the search for alternative solutions to protect crops has attracted the interest of scientists around the world. Among these solutions, biological control using beneficial microorganisms has taken on considerable importance, and several biological control agents (BCAs) have been studied, including species belonging to the genera Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Streptomyces, Trichoderma, Cladosporium, and Epicoccum, most of which include plants of growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs). Bacillus has proved to be a broad-spectrum agent against these leaf cereal diseases. Interaction between plant and beneficial agents occurs as direct mycoparasitism or hyperparasitism by a mixed pathway via the secretion of lytic enzymes, growth enzymes, and antibiotics, or by an indirect interaction involving competition for nutrients or space and the induction of host resistance (systemic acquired resistance (SAR) or induced systemic resistance (ISR) pathway). We mainly demonstrate the role of BCAs in the defense against fungal diseases of cereal leaves. To enhance a solution-based crop protection approach, it is also important to understand the mechanism of action of BCAs/molecules/plants. Research in the field of preventing cereal diseases is still ongoing.
