Technical Yearbook 2024

Flow diagram describing the activities necessary to characterise microbial interactions and produce bioproducts of high biotechnological interest.

How can BCAs be useful? Using BCAs as a preharvest and postharvest treatment to control diseases caused by pathogens has many advantages: • They can persist on the fruit surface for an extended period. • They are generally safer for human health than many chemical agents. • They are eco-friendly. • They maintain ecological balance and promote biodiversity. • They can protect the product from reinfection due to their persistent viability. • They have a lower potential for pathogens to develop resistance. • Products treated with BCAs potentially open more export opportunities. Finding effective BCAs In the fight for sustainable disease management, finding effective biological control agents within a diverse microbial landscape – bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi – is essential, but challenging. Vineyards, which host a remarkable diversity of microbial communities, serve as a natural reservoir of potential BCAs. In vitro assays and in vivo studies are crucial in evaluating their inhibitory activity against target pathogens. However, this search goes beyond finding a single effective agent. The possibility of combining several BCAs should be explored not only to achieve a greater impact, but

also to reduce the emergence of new resistances. This raises some interesting questions. Friends or foes? How do these BCAs interact with each other and with the target pathogen? Will they work together as a team or hinder? If the target pathogen is successfully eliminated, could others take advantage? Researchers are figuring this out by studying how BCAs interact with each other, with the target pathogen, the host plant and other microorganisms. By unravelling these complex microbial relationships, they are paving the way for a future where we can assemble the ultimate BCA consortium: a powerful, well-coordinated force for sustainable fungal disease control in the vineyard. How do you unlock the secrets of BCAs? The widespread adoption of next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques has revolutionised the field of biocontrol. These techniques, which include whole genome sequencing, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, allow the identification of the molecular pathways and essential genes

that play key roles in biocontrol. Have any BCAs been approved?

Yes, but despite their growing potential, BCAs currently represent a small fraction (1%) of the agricultural control market compared to the dominance of synthetic pesticides (15%). This limited adoption can be attributed to several factors:

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TECHNICAL YEARBOOK 2024