Volatiles produced by interacting microorganisms potentially useful for the control of plant pathogens

Abstract

The results of studies about interactions between microorganisms involving at least one plant pathogen are of interest to the areas of ethiology and control in Plant Pathology. Various aspects of these interactions have been studied over the years but the toxicity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has been emphasized only recently, developing techniques and procedures, and producing additional knowledge to those already obtained with water-soluble substances. This new facet of these interactions based on VOCs is discussed in this review involving mainly fungi, bacteria and nematodes pathogenic to plants. Also discussed is the role of VOCs produced by microorganisms, especially fungi and bacteria, in soil fungistasis and the effect of VOCs on fungal agents used in the control of plant parasitic nematodes. The evidence of VOCs broadens the research studies about these interactions. However, the scarcity of the research results in this area show up gaps which need to be filled and some research proposals are discussed. The present and future accumulated VOC knowledge will perhaps be beneficial to farmers, especially aspects related to increasing soil suppressiveness to plant disease and to the finding of analog molecules of VOCs highly effective against plant pathogens.