Biological Controls in Horticulture | Biocontrôle des maladies des plantes | Biological Controls in Horticulture: Recent advances and Prospects in Plant Protection | Biocontrôle des maladies des plantes: Avancées récentes et perspectives en matière de protection des plantes

International audience

anglais. Faced with climate changes, pest pressure on plants is increasing and new pest complexes are appearing, for which plant protection solutions are not yet available. The reduction of anthropic pressure on agro-ecosystems requires a reduction in the use of chemical inputs and the promotion of biocontrol approaches.In this book, we present new advances on plant disease management that are emerging from research outputs. The ability of biocontrol products to directly (e.g. production of antimicrobial peptides or quorum quenching activities by microorganisms, use of plant or agro-industrial by-products as biopesticides, etc.) or indirectly (e.g. via the increase of plant defense or plant growth pathways) protect plants against pathogens and pests is also considered.We also address new strategies like the development of phage-based biocontrol products and those that consider the plant as a holobiont and plant microbiota as targets of biocontrol treatments. The important question of the current regulatory process needed to launch plant production products on the market is also addressed, such as methods to evaluate their environmental impact.Chapter 2 by Guibert et al. gives an overview of the various biocontrol products used in horticulture. Horticulture is a vast agronomic sector involving the cultivation of fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants. It is a major market for biocontrol products and targets both fresh and, in some cases, perishable products to improve shelf life. In the case of edible products, plant protection strategies should scrupulously avoid contamination by toxic substances and efforts should also be dedicated to preserving the gustative quality of the food in addition to conserving their nutritional value. In this sector, consumers are strongly concerned about the safety aspects of food products, as confirmed by the continuously increasing demand for organic farm produce. Although biocontrol has been integrated into horticultural practices for more than 40 years, the reduced or banned application of phytopharmaceutical products (e.g. glyphosate) has motivated cultivators to make fundamental changes and has also challenged manyentrenched agricultural practices. The increase in the use of biocontrol methods and biostimulants, which is now under way, is largely driven by the greater awareness in society of the negative impact of pesticides, as described in Chapter 2. The authors describe the different trade-offs that must be considered in horticulture and the difficulties that farmers couldencounter: the trade-off between plant growth and plant protection against disease as well as economic trade-offs linked to eco-innovations (increased costs, productivity gains, critical importance of certification and labeling on the marketplace, etc.). Further studies on the safety and environmental sustainability of biocontrol products are still needed before their deploymenton the large scale as an alternative to PPP.

français. L'horticulture est la branche de l'agriculture qui s'intéresse aux fruits, aux légumes et aux plantes ornementales. Ce chapitre examine les biocontrôles dans l'horticulture, en se concentrant sur les compromis physiologiques pour la croissance et l'immunité, ainsi que sur les co-innovations et les compromis économiques. Il aborde également les défis actuels et propose des perspectives d'avenir.