Biological Management of Diseases of Crops, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2013 Volume 1: Characteristics of Biological Control Agents Progress in Biological Control Series, Vol. 15

Biological disease management tactics have emerged as potential alternative to chemical application for containing crop diseases. Biotic and abiotic biological control agents (BCAs) have been demonstrated to be effective against diseases caused by microbial plant pathogens. Combination of biotic and abiotic agents leads to synergism and consequent improvement in the effectiveness of disease control. It is essential to assay the biocontrol potential of all isolates/species of fungal, bacterial and viral biocontrol agents by different techniques in vitro and under greenhouse and field conditions and to precisely identify and differentiate the most effective isolates from less effective ones by employing biological, immunological and nucleic acid-based assays.

Preface

Acknowldegement

1. Introduction
1.1 Concepts and aims of biological management of crop diseases
1.2 Landmarks in the development of biological disease management systems
1.3 Nature and characteristics of biological control agents

2. Detection and identification of fungal biological control agents
2.1Methods of detection and identification
2.2 Assessment of biocontrol potential of fungi
2.3 Identification and differentiation of mycorrhizal biological control agents

3. Mechanisms of action of fungal biological control agents
3.1 Types of antagonism

4. Detection and identification of bacterial biological control agents
4.1 Methods of detection and identification
4.2 Assessment of biocontrol potential of bacteria

5. Mechanisms of action of bacterial biological control agents
5.1 Types of antagonism

6. Detection and identification of viral biological control agents
6.1 Viruses pathogenic to fungal plant pathogens
6.2 Viruses pathogenic to bacterial plant pathogens
6.3 Mild strains of plant viruses as biocontrol agents
6.4 Subviral agents as biological disease management

7. Genetic engineering for improving the performance of biotic biological control agents
7.1 Fungal biocontrol agents
7.2 Bacterial biological control agents
7.3 Genetically modified strains of plant viruses
7.4 Protection by antibody expression

8. Abiotic biological control agents for crop disease management
8.1 Natural products of plant and animal origin
8.2 Synthetic organic compounds as biological control agents
8.3 Inorganic compounds as biological control agents

Discussion on the nature and biological activities of both biotic and abiotic bioagents is presented with large number of illustrations only in this book, providing a significant benefit and opportunity to the audience to have complete information from a single source

Various mechanisms of biological activities of biotic and abiotic biocontrol agents are critically discussed highlighting the similarities in their mechanisms and indicating the possibilities of selecting the compatible ones to enhance the effectiveness of biological control against the targeted microbial pathogen(s) causing different diseases

Presentation of several protocols for carrying out various experiments and the list of general and specific media for isolation of biotic biocontrol agents is yet another attempt to make the book to be more useful to the readers who cannot find this aspect in any other book?