Microbes as Natural Biocontrol Agents in Organic Farming
摘要
Globally, pests and diseases often affect crop output and thereby impose serious challenges to sufficient food for the growing global populace. Therefore, because of constant crop yield loss through these pests, the necessity of protecting crops from pests and diseases, especially, in organic farming system cannot be overemphasized. This necessitates the search for a more practical and sustainable means of managing both insect pests and phytopathogens, aside from organic farming, that will dominate the most used and often abused synthetic pesticides. Using naturally occurring antagonistic microbes for biocontrol, and biological control agents (BCA), is a strategy that is safe for the environment to prevent plant diseases. Organic farming (OF), is a sustainable farming method that produces a steady supply of farm products while being mindful of the environment, economy, and society. The utilization of microorganisms as organic farming’s natural biocontrol agents is highlighted in this chapter. Microbes are microscopic, unicellular organisms that are invisible to the naked eye but under a microscope. They are also known as microorganisms and care in numerous life forms, sizes, and features, which include bacteria, fungi, protists, viruses, and archaea. They could either be advantageous or harmful. Utilizing biological control agents relies on the “natural control” phenomenon to lower the quantity of deleterious plant diseases and pests. The purpose of introducing or maintaining living organisms as biocontrol agents is to damage organisms that cause diseases. More target specificity and ecological safety could be provided by microbes as a potential substitute for chemical insecticides.