Significance of Biological Control of Plant Diseases

Description

Plant diseases caused by infectious pathogens have seriously affected human society and nature through their damages to food production, economic development, ecological resilience, and natural landscapes over human history. Plant diseases can occur in the entire crop production chain and remain as one of the greatest threats to the sustainable development of society, resulting in a 13%–22% annual yield loss, or billions of US dollar economic costs in staples of rice, wheat, maize, and potato along with additional costs spent on education and the development of management strategies. These biological and economic losses at least partially account for the recent estimates of 800 million people in the world experiencing starvation or undernourishment. Biological control is considered as a promising alternative to pesticide and plant resistance to manage plant diseases, but a better understanding of the interaction of its natural and societal functions is necessary for its endorsement. The introduction of biological control agents (BCAs) alters the interaction among plants, pathogens, and environments, leading to biological and physical cascades that influence pathogen fitness, plant health, and ecological function. This book “Significance of Biological Control of Plant Diseases” covers all relevant aspects of controlling plant diseases. This book is written in lucid manner considering every of its users.