The Exploitation of Microbial Antagonists against Postharvest Plant Pathogens

Postharvest disease management is vital to increase the quality and productivity of crops. As part of crop disease protection, people used different agrochemicals and agricultural practices to manage postharvest diseases. However, the widespread use of agrochemicals in pest and disease control has detrimental effects on consumer health, the environment, and fruit quality. To date, different approaches are being used to manage postharvest diseases. The use of microorganisms to control postharvest disease is becoming an eco-friendly and environmentally sounds approach. There are many known and reported biocontrol agents, including bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. Nevertheless, despite the abundance of publications on biocontrol agents, the use of biocontrol in sustainable agriculture requires substantial research, effective adoption, and comprehension of the interactions between plants, pathogens, and the environment. To accomplish this, this review made an effort to locate and summarize earlier publications on the function of microbial biocontrol agents against postharvest crop diseases. Additionally, this review aims to investigate biocontrol mechanisms, their modes of operation, potential future applications for bioagents, as well as difficulties encountered during the commercialization process.