Advancements in plant disease control strategies

Abstract Microorganisms have adapted different strategies to evolve according to the plant environment and interact either beneficially or detrimentally. The detrimental interactions include those with pathogenic viruses, bacteria, fungi, and pests. There have been more than 50,000 plant diseases reported. They impart major damage to world crop production. Chemical treatments have been widely used to control plant diseases; however, most of them present serious concerns for the environment and consumer health. With extensive research, various strategies have been developed to improve plant defense and provide resistance against pathogens. Marker-assisted molecular breeding and modern biotechnological approaches such as CRISPR-Cas, RNAi, etc., have extended greater promise in this regard. In addition, ecofriendly alternatives such as biological control agents have shown high potential for sustainable disease management. In this chapter, we elaborate various modern approaches used for the control and management of various diseases.