Genomics, proteomics and transcriptomics in the biological control of plant pathogens: a review

Plant diseases cause significant yield and quality losses and thereby need to be minimized. Several approaches can be used to manage plant diseases. Farmers often depend more on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, in addition to good agronomic practices. Excessive use of agrochemicals has led to environmental pollution. Natural biocontrol agents have been postulated to be less harmful; however, despite successful identification of several biocontrol agents, inefficacy and inconsistency against specific plant diseases under different field and environmental conditions has been shown to be a big obstacle. This emphasizes the need for improved biocontrol agents which can withstand adverse conditions and still perform well for management of diseases caused by pathogens. Genome sequencing of biocontrol organism can provide better insights for effective management of plant diseases. Besides these, omics-technology based knowledge is increasingly contributing to better understanding of biocontrol strategies. While genetically modified microorganisms can play an important role, regulatory concerns can hamper effective commercialization. In this scenario, the omics-based technologies are expected to play a major role in future commercialization of biocontrol agents. This review provides an overview of the evolution of genomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics in the field of biocontrol agents for plant pathogens.