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The possibility of using Serratia isolates for the production of biopreparations in the protection of plants against diseases and pests

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Abstract

The agriculture is extremely important for the life of human beings. Therefore, it is needed to control the enemies that destroy vast areas of crops causing great economic losses. Chemical pesticides were the option for many decades, but the damage that they cause to environment and human health led to the idea of changing the use of these for more sustainable options such as biopesticides as a biological control. Among microbial pesticides, Serratia species have been found as suitable options to apply against several pests or pathogens. Serratia species produce a wide range of secondary metabolites with several biological activities such as antifungal, antibacterial, and pesticides which can be used in sustainable agriculture. It has been reported that several Serratia species are able to suppress some crop diseases caused by Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani, Phytophthora parasitica, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Verticillium dahlia, and Phytophthora capsici among others. Therefore, they have been used as biocontrol agents in agriculture. In this review, we summarized the genus Serratia describing its history and development and the metabolites it secretes, which are responsible for their antibacterial and antifungal activity. We have analyzed the insecticide capacity of several Serratia species as well antifungal properties of Serratia species against most important crops’ pathogens. In conclusion, the use of Serratia as a biological control agent against plant pathogens can be a good option for a sustainable agriculture. More work is needed to assess the safety of the isolated new strains and their effectiveness against pathogens in in vivo conditions.

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Acknowledgements

Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Estudios de Posgrado (VIEP) de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (Puebla, Mexico) [100518932-2022] is acknowledged for financial support.

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Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Estudios de Posgrado, 100518932-2022, 100518932-2022.

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  1. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 72590, Puebla, Puebla, Mexico

    Aurelio Ortiz & Estibaliz Sansinenea

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  1. Aurelio Ortiz
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  2. Estibaliz Sansinenea
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All authors have contributed equally to the MS. All authors have written and revised carefully the MS. All the authors have read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Estibaliz Sansinenea.

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Ortiz, A., Sansinenea, E. The possibility of using Serratia isolates for the production of biopreparations in the protection of plants against diseases and pests. Arch Microbiol 205, 288 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-023-03633-6

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