Biocontrol technologies for disease and pest management in strawberry: potential for bacterial strategies and lactic acid bacteria?

Primary crop production is facing serious challenges with respect to climate change, sustainability, food security and socio-economic profitability. With an average yield loss of 23%, plant diseases and pests are an important threat to global food security. Chemical plant protection products (PPPs) are widely used to control diseases and pests. Due to their environmental impact and the resistance development of pathogens and pests against several PPPs, their application becomes more and more restricted. The European Farm to Fork strategy envisions to reduce the overall use and risk of chemical PPPs with 50% by 2030. Biocontrol applications could be valuable alternatives to overcome the disadvantages of these chemical PPPs. Currently, not many bacterial-based PPP strategies exist and the current bacterial strategies are largely focusing on spore-forming bacilli. Here we propose to explore the potential of lactic acid bacteria. If they show activity in the lab against major pathogens, we will explore their most suitable formulation and activity in more relevant conditions.

Keywords:LACTOBACILLUS, SPRAY DRYING, INSECTA, FUNGI

Disciplines:Biotechnology for agricultural, forestry, fisheries and allied sciences not elsewhere classified, Food microbiology