Microbial disease management in agriculture: Current status and future prospects

Abstract Agriculture plays a critical role in the growth, development, and sustainability of any nation's economy. It is the central key in world merchandise. As per the report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 60% of the global population depends on agriculture for their survival on Earth. Agricultural practices trace back to ancient times. Since then, many strategies were followed to improve the yield while increasing disease resistance. Disease management strategies varied globally based on cultural and traditional practices. There also occurred evolution in the management strategies in accordance with the socio-economic development. The history traces from crop rotation, use of cow's urine, application of chemical pesticides such as streptomycin and copper-mancozeb to phage therapy, each method has occupied its prime role in the ascent of agricultural era. The emergence of many phytopathogens has paved the way towards the introduction of many resistant strategies. Genetically engineered plants that are highly disease resistant are developed but are not extremely acceptable because of the monotony. In the continuum, they have also become susceptible to new pathogens. Researchers now are on the highway looking for a promising and more potential source for disease management. This article summarizes various disease management strategies practiced by farmers and the application of bacterial viruses in controlling plant pathogenic bacteria. It also highlights other possible methods for plant disease control in the near future for sustainable organic agricultural practices.