Bacillus spp. as Bioagents-Applications and Effective Strategies in Plant Bacterial Disease Management: A Review

Phytopathogenic bacteria (PPB) cause plant diseases, resulting in significant global economic losses. Over 200 bacterial species across 25 genera damage various plant species, predominantly from the Pseudomonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae and Enterobacteriaceae families. These bacteria invade plant tissues and surfaces to live and obtain nourishment, often in collaboration with fungi and viruses, along with the impact of abiotic stress factors like chemical pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, post-harvest loss, food waste and environmental degradation. These challenges collectively pose a substantial threat to global agricultural food production. Achieving global food security, sustainability in agriculture and enhancing the yield of high-quality healthy crops require effective control of plant bacterial diseases. Traditional chemical control methods have led to bacterial resistance, environmental pollution, high costs and negative impacts on human and ecological health. To address these issues, attention has shifted towards the alternatives of synthetic agrochemicals, with a focus on biopesticides. This paper comprehensively analyzes using Bacillus species as bioagents and investigating their mechanisms of action, including competition, antibiosis and induced plant resistance and evaluating their effectiveness in managing bacterial plant diseases. The findings suggest that Bacillus spp. offer a promising solution to sustainable agricultural practices, providing a safer and more eco-friendly approach to plant disease management.