Essential oils are employed in agriculture, medicine and food industries among others, due to their antimicrobial, antiviral, insecticidal and antifungal properties. In this chapter, we will focus on the control of fungal plant pathogens with essential oils. Fungal diseases in agricultural crops and forestry alter the physiology of plants, disrupting their normal functioning, reducing their yield and sometimes causing their death. Recent studies show antifungal effects of many essential oils against plant pathogenic fungi, which make them candidates for the development of new fungicidal agents. This chapter presents a review of the most recent advances in this area, as well as the future trends in this field.
Part of the book: Potential of Essential Oils
This chapter is a revision of the realm of endophytic fungi, focusing on how to approach the study of their biodiversity in relation to distribution, richness, host plant defense mechanisms, chemistry, and metabolomic profiles. We will revise the current isolation and identification methods available such as culture-dependent techniques and omics approaches including both targeted and functional metagenomics, and their comparison to give a holistic view of the endophytic fungal biome. Additionally, we will discuss their biotechnological potential for the production of bioactive natural products to be applied in plant protection (against nematodes, fungi, and insect control), soil restoration, or disease control practices based on microbial antagonists.
Part of the book: The Diversity of Fungal World [Working title]