AUTHOR=Álvarez Belén , Biosca Elena G. 

TITLE=Bacteriophage-Based Bacterial Wilt Biocontrol for an Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.01218

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2017.01218

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Bacterial wilt diseases caused by <italic>Ralstonia solanacearum</italic>, <italic>R. pseudosolanacearum</italic>, and <italic>R. syzygii</italic> subsp. <italic>indonesiensis</italic> (former <italic>R. solanacearum</italic> species complex) are among the most important plant diseases worldwide, severely affecting a high number of crops and ornamentals. Difficulties of bacterial wilt control by non-biological methods are related to effectiveness, bacterial resistance and environmental impact. Alternatively, a great many biocontrol strategies have been carried out, with the advantage of being environmentally friendly. Advances in bacterial wilt biocontrol include an increasing interest in bacteriophage-based treatments as a promising re-emerging strategy. Bacteriophages against the bacterial wilt pathogens have been described with either lytic or lysogenic effect but, they were proved to be active against strains belonging to <italic>R. pseudosolanacearum</italic> and/or <italic>R. syzygii</italic> subsp. <italic>indonesiensis</italic>, not to the present <italic>R. solanacearum</italic> species, and only two of them demonstrated successful biocontrol potential <italic>in planta</italic>. Despite the publication of three patents on the topic, until now no bacteriophage-based product is commercially available. Therefore, there is still much to be done to incorporate valid bacteriophages in an integrated management program to effectively fight bacterial wilt in the field.</p>