Future outlook on microbial bioprotectants in agriculture

Abstract

Microbial bioprotectants have the potential to play a major role in the future of crop protection. Agriculture needs to become more sustainable and still provide food security within planetary borders. New technologies and scientific discoveries can unravel the interactions between the plant, the microbiome and the soil and provide new opportunities for crop protection and more resilient cropping systems. Regulatory issues delay and hamper exploitation and research of genetic resources. This chapter describes the factors that promote the use of microbial bioprotectants as well as those that hamper their further adoption. A sustainable and resilient agriculture depends on the microbial interactions between plants in promoting plant growth and combatting biotic and abiotic threats. The transition to a resilient agriculture requires big changes in policy, regulation and farming practices. This chapter assesses the future outlook for the methods for controlling plant diseases described in this book as well as the factors determining their uptake and success.