Biocontrol Agents for Soil Health Management

The term “soil health” describes particular characteristics of the soil and its capacity to support and maintain crop growth and development. Microorganisms that encourage plant development are plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) which are essential elements of healthy soil. Through a variety of mechanisms, PGPRs are able to promote soil health including phosphate solubilization, heavy metal sequestration, phytohormone production (for example, cytokinins, indole acetic acid, and gibberellins), nitrogen fixation, and mineralization of organic matter. In addition, PGPRs are employed as biocontrol agents to guard both plants and soil against diseases. Using microorganisms including fungus, bacteria, yeast, and viruses as biocontrol agents offers huge potential to replace traditional chemical-based pesticides. The routes of action of PGPR with biocontrol activity are examined in terms of antibiotic production, cell-wall-disintegrating enzymes, hyperparasitism, competition, siderophores, and induction of systemic resistance (ISR). In this chapter, soil health, various biocontrol agents, types, mechanism of action, and their applications will be covered.