Bacteriocins in plant pathology: current knowledge, application, challenges and perspectives

Area of Science:

• Plant Pathology
• Microbial Ecology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Multi-resistant phytopathogenic bacteria pose a significant threat to plant health and agricultural productivity.
• Bacteriocins, antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria, are gaining interest for their specific activity and microbiome-modulating potential.
• Current applications include biocontrol agents and plant growth stimulators, with potential for in situ or ex situ production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore bacteriocins as innovative solutions for managing multi-resistant phytopathogenic bacteria.
• To highlight the potential of bacteriocin-based strategies in sustainable agriculture.
• To discuss the role of omics-based approaches in identifying and developing novel bacteriocins.

Main Methods:

• Review of bacteriocin applications in plant health and biocontrol.
• Discussion of omics-based approaches, particularly metagenomics, for bacteriocin discovery.
• Exploration of genetic engineering techniques for bacteriocin production (chimeric bacteriocins, transgenic plants).

Main Results:

• Bacteriocins demonstrate high specificity and potential for microbiome modulation.
• Metagenomics combined with databases facilitates identification and prediction of active bacteriocins.
• Genetic engineering offers advanced production methods, including in transgenic plants, to limit resistance.

Conclusions:

• Bacteriocin-based strategies hold significant promise for sustainable agriculture through targeted pathogen control.
• These strategies integrate molecular biology, microbial ecology, and agronomy.
• Challenges remain in large-scale implementation, including standardization, regulation, and farmer acceptance.