Biological control agents: from field to market, problems, and challenges

Siva L S Velivelli; Paul De Vos; Peter Kromann; Stephane Declerck; Barbara D Prestwich

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2014.07.002

Biological control agents: from field to market, problems, and challenges

Trends Biotechnol. 2014 Oct;32(10):493-6. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2014.07.002.

Authors

Siva L S Velivelli¹, Paul De Vos², Peter Kromann³, Stephane Declerck⁴, Barbara D Prestwich⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Butler Building, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland.
² Laboratory of Microbiology, University of Gent, K.L. Ledeganckstraat, 35B-9000 Gent, Belgium; BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection - Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Gent, K.L. Ledeganckstraat, 35B-9000 Gent, Belgium.
³ International Potato Center (CIP), Panamericana Sur Km 1, P.O. Box 17-21-1977, Quito, Ecuador.
⁴ Université Catholique de Louvain, Earth and Life Institute, Applied Microbiology, Mycology, Croix du Sud, 2 box L7.05.06, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
⁵ School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Butler Building, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland. Electronic address: b.doyle@ucc.ie.

PMID: 25246168
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2014.07.002

Abstract

Global food security is vulnerable due to massive growth of the human population, changes in global climate, the emergence of novel/more virulent pathogens, and demands from increasingly discerning consumers for chemical-free, sustainably produced food products. Bacterium-based biological control agents (BCAs), if used as part of an integrated management system, may satisfy the above demands. We focus on the advantages, limitations, problems, and challenges involved in such strategies.

Keywords: biocontrol; biodiversity; food security; sustainable agriculture.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Biological Control Agents*
Biotechnology*
Food Supply

Substances

Biological Control Agents