Abstract
The traditional way of dealing with plant diseases has been the use of chemical products, but these harm the environment and are incompatible with the global effort for sustainable development. The use of Bacillus and related species in the biological control of plant diseases is a trend in green agriculture. Many studies report the positive effect of these bacteria, but a synthesis is still necessary. So, the objective of this work is to perform a meta-analysis of Bacillus biocontrol potential and identify factors that drive its efficacy. Data were compiled from articles published in journals listed in two of the main scientific databases between 2000 and 2021. Among 6159 articles retrieved, 399 research papers met the inclusion criteria for a systematic review. Overall, Bacilli biocontrol agents reduced disease by 60% compared to control groups. Furthermore, experimental tests with higher concentrations show a strong protective effect, unlike low and single concentration essays. Biocontrol efficacy also increased when used as a protective inoculation rather than therapeutic inoculation. Inoculation directly in the fruit has a greater effect than soil drenching. The size of the effect of Bacillus-based commercial products is lower than the newly tested strains. The findings presented in this study confirm the power of Bacillus-based bioinoculants and provide valuable guidance for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers seeking effective and sustainable solutions in plant disease management.
Highlights
Bacillus biological control agents significantly reduced disease by 60% when compared to negative control groups;
The concentration of the inoculum drives the protection effect of Bacillus inoculation;
Protective inoculation has a greater effect than therapeutic inoculation;
Inoculation directly in the fruit has a greater effect than soil drenching;
In comparison with test strains, commercial bioproducts have a lower protective effect.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study is provided within the manuscript or supplementary information files.
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The authors thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Brazil.
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Conceptualization: C.P. Serrão, J.C.G Ortega, P.C. Rodrigues and C.R.B. de Souza. Material preparation, data collection and analysis: C.P. Serrão and J.C.G. Ortega. Writing—original draft preparation: C.P. Serrão. Writing—review and editing: J.C.G Ortega, P.C. Rodrigues and C.R.B. de Souza. Reading and approval of the final version of the manuscript: C.P. Serrão, J.C.G Ortega, P.C. Rodrigues and C.R.B. de Souza.
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Serrão, C.P., Ortega, J.C.G., Rodrigues, P.C. et al. Bacillus species as tools for biocontrol of plant diseases: A meta-analysis of twenty-two years of research, 2000–2021. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 40, 110 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-024-03935-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-024-03935-x