Current Status and Future Prospects of Cladosporium sp., a Biocontrol Agent for Sustainable Plant Protection.

Abstract

The fungal biocontrol agents, Cladosporium sp. have great economic importance on account of their beneficial effects on the integrated pest management (IPM) program. The different species of this genus can control different arthropod pests like sweetpotato whitefly, sugarcane woolly aphid, two-spotted mite, cotton aphid, cotton leaf worm, red spider mite, armyworm; and different plant diseases like- rice blast, wheat stripe rust, chrysanthemum white rust, etc. Chemical pesticides are a common practice by the user to protect their crops from these pests. But the intensive use of chemical pesticides has harmful impacts on human health and ecosystem functioning, and they also reduce plant protection sustainability. Sustainable plant protection could be achieved through the reduction of chemical pesticides, resulting in minimal impact on the environment without compromising crop yields. This review was written based on biocontrol methods using Cladosporium sp. which is an alternative option for pest management. Continued research concerning the commercialization of these biocontrol agents as biopesticides may contribute to sustainable plant protection.