MECHANISM OF ACTION OF

MICROBIAL PESTICIDES IN
BIOCONTROL : PARASITISM &
ANTIBIOSIS
MOSHIDI G 30469775
 INTRODUCTION
 A variety of microbes have been used to control plant pathogens and nematode pests
that cause sail-borne and air-borne plant diseases. Biological control has been effective in
some cases but not in others.
 There are two approaches that may be used to ensure the success of biocontrol.
1. Eradication or reduction of inoculum
2. Protection of introduced fungi and bacteria antagonists.
 Understanding the mechanisms by which plant disease biocontrol occurs is important to
the potential development and broader use of biocontrol methods. These mechanisms
are classified into three broad categories: competition, parasitism/predation, and
antibiosis.
 ANTIBIOSIS
 The term antibiosis is derived from the French term ‘antibiose’ to describe
the antagonistic interaction between organisms that is harmful to one of
them or between organisms and a metabolic product of another.
 Trichoderma uses this mechanism to produce antifungal and antibacterial
low molecular weight diffusible compounds.
 Antibiotics are produced by one of the species as a defensive mechanism
against potential predators. Some species may even produce toxins, and
antibiotics may therefore be harmful to some of the species that share the
same habitat as the antibiotic producer.
 Antibiosis is thus regarded as an example of interference competition in
which one species inhibits the development of the other and gains access
to more food and resources
 PARASITISM
 A relationship in which one species benefits at the
expense of the other, sometimes without killing the
host organism.
 The parasitic habit of one parasitic species on another
parasitic species is known as hyperparasitism.
 Mycoparasitism is defined as the parasitism of one
fungus to another (mycoparasitic) Trichoderma
harzianum used as seed treatment against pathogenic
fungus (Sclerotium rolfsil) on chickpea and sugar beet.
Mechanisms of fungal endophytes in biological control of phytopathogens
THANK YOU!!!