Biocontrol of plant disease: a (Gram-) positive perspective

Biological control offers an environmentally friendly alternative to the us e of pesticides for controlling plant diseases. Unfortunately, growers cont inue to use chemical control over biological agents, and lack of knowledge often contributes to the downfall of a biocontrol agent. Knowledge of the b iological environment in which the agent will be used and of how to produce a stable formulation are both critical to successful biocontrol. Certain G ram-positive bacteria have a natural formulation advantage over their Gram- negative counterparts: the spore. Although the Gram-positive bacteria have not been as well represented in the biocontrol literature, their spore-form ing abilities and historical industrial uses bode well for biocontrol succe ss. Here we describe several systems utilizing Gram-positive biocontrol age nts that have been researched in depth and provide models for the future of biocontrol. (C) 1999 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Pub lished by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.