Biocontrol Potential and Its Exploitation in Sustainable Agriculture : Volume 1: Crop Diseases, Weeds, and Nematodes

Plant based biotechnology has come to represent a means of mitigating the problems of global food security in the twenty-first century. Products and processes in agriculture are increasingly becoming linked to science and cutting edge technology, to enable the engineering of what are in effect, designer plants. One of the most successful , non-chemical approaches to pest management and disease control is biological control, which seeks a solution in terms of using living organisms to regulate the incidence of pests and pathogens, providing a natural control' while still maintaining the biological balance with the ecosystem. This volume, (the first of two), addresses the different types of biocontrol for different pests, namely, crop diseases, weeds and nematodes, and details the biology of both the pest and its enemies, which is vital for efficient use of biological control. The book has numerous contributors who are authorities in their fields, and would be an asset to those who have interest in sustainable agriculture and crop productivity. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Biological Control of Crop Diseases Exploiting Genes Involved in Systemic Induced Resistance....Pages 1-8 Biocontrol of Plant Diseases for Agricultural Sustainability....Pages 9-24 Bacterial Biocontrol Agents and their Role in Plant Disease Management....Pages 25-37 Exploitation of Protoplast Fusion Technology in Improving Biocontrol Potential....Pages 39-48 Microbial Iron Chelators: A Sustainable Tool for the Biocontrol of Plant Diseases....Pages 49-70 Antiviral Phytoproteins as Biocontrol Agents for Efficient Management of Plant Virus Diseases....Pages 71-79 Mycoviruses: A Novel Option for Managing Some Plant Diseases....Pages 81-94 Exploitation of Microorganisms and Viruses as Biocontrol Agents for Crop Disease Management....Pages 95-116 Sustainable Management of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in the Biocontrol of Soil-Borne Plant Diseases....Pages 117-138 The Potential of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Associations for Biocontrol of Soil-Born Diseases....Pages 139-153 Fungal Antagonists of Phytonematodes....Pages 155-172 Bacterial Antagonists of Phytonematodes....Pages 173-186 Horse Purslane (Trianthema Portulacastrum L.) and its Biocontrol with Fungal Pathogens: An Overview....Pages 187-198 Biological Control of Weeds with Plant Pathogens....Pages 199-205 Biological Control of Weeds in India....Pages 207-221 Biological Control of Rot Diseases of Small Cardamom....Pages 223-237 Biocontrol of Pulse Diseases....Pages 239-249 Biological Control of Pearl Millet Downy Mildew: Present Status and Future Prospects....Pages 251-265 Biological Control of Major Fungal Diseases of Rice and Other Food Grains with Bacterial Antagonists....Pages 267-278 Innovative Approaches in Rice Sheath Blight Management....Pages 279-286 Back Matter....Pages 287-294