Bacillus species as tools for biocontrol of plant diseases: A meta-analysis of twenty-two years of research, 2000-2021.

The traditional way of dealing with plant diseases has been the use of chemical products, but these harm the environment and are incompatible with the global effort for sustainable development. The use of Bacillus and related species in the biological control of plant diseases is a trend in green agriculture. Many studies report the positive effect of these bacteria, but a synthesis is still necessary. So, the objective of this work is to perform a meta-analysis of Bacillus biocontrol potential and identify factors that drive its efficacy. Data were compiled from articles published in journals listed in two of the main scientific databases between 2000 and 2021. Among 6159 articles retrieved, 399 research papers met the inclusion criteria for a systematic review. Overall, Bacilli biocontrol agents reduced disease by 60% compared to control groups. Furthermore, experimental tests with higher concentrations show a strong protective effect, unlike low and single concentration essays. Biocontrol efficacy also increased when used as a protective inoculation rather than therapeutic inoculation. Inoculation directly in the fruit has a greater effect than soil drenching. The size of the effect of Bacillus-based commercial products is lower than the newly tested strains. The findings presented in this study confirm the power of Bacillus-based bioinoculants and provide valuable guidance for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers seeking effective and sustainable solutions in plant disease management.

Plant bZIP Proteins: Potential use in Agriculture - A Review.

With global climate changes and the increased demand for food due to expected world population growth, genetic improvement programs have aimed at producing crops with increased yield and tolerance to environmental stresses, such as drought, salinity, and pathogens. On the other hand, genetic improvement programs via biotechnology require candidate genes that confer traits of interest to be incorporated into improved crops. In this regard, genes encoding transcription factors (TFs) can be promising since they are proteins that transcriptionally regulate the expression of target genes related to the most diverse roles in the plant, including defense against stresses. Among TFs, bZIP (basic leucine zipper) proteins regulate many developmental and physiological processes in the plant, such as seed formation, fruit ripening, nutrient assimilation, and defense response to abiotic and biotic stresses. In this review, we aim to highlight the main advances in the potential use of bZIP TFs in the genetic improvement of crops. We address this potential mainly regarding crop tolerance to stresses and other agricultural traits, such as increased yield and fruit features.