Advances in bioprotectants for plant disease control in horticulture

Publication date: 14/03/2022
Extent: 40 pages

Contributions by: Philippe C. Nicot, Thomas Pressecq and Marc Bardin, INRAE, Pathologie Végétale, France

Chapter synopsis: Microbial bioprotectants and natural substances have been increasingly available and implemented for disease management in horticultural crops. This chapter presents the status of registered products and their current insufficiency to fulfill farmers’ needs for disease control solutions. It highlights possible advances to meet those needs, which include extending the spectrum of activity of existing products, finding new active substances, and facilitating registration of bioprotectants. It addresses issues on enhancing the field efficacy of bioprotectants on horticultural crops, through the expansion of knowledge on their modes of action, the Identification key factors of efficacy, the improvement of delivery and the complementation of bioprotectant use with other solutions from the IPM toolbox. It provides data on adoption of bioprotectants by horticulturists in France and reviews possible obstacles for wider adoption and proposes perpectives on ways to help farmers cope with the technical complexity of deployment.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2021.0095.02